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THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
NEW YORK - BOSTON : CHICAGO - DALLAS 
ATLANTA + SAN FRANCISCO 


MACMILLAN & CO., LimitTED 
LONDON + BOMBAY + CALCUTTA 
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TORONTO 


AOARY OF PRI 
<ul GF PRiner 1 






NOY 121925 


THE 
FRUITS OF 
MORMONISM 





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BY 


FRANKLIN STEWART HARRIS, Pu.D. 


AUTHOR OF 

“THE PRINCIPLES OF AGRONOMY’; “THE YOUNG MAN AND HIS VOCATION’’; 

“THE SUGAR BEET IN AMERICA’; “SOIL ALKALI’; “SCIENTIFIC 
RESEARCH AND HUMAN WELFARE,”’ ETC. 


AND 


NEWBERN ISAAC BUTT, B.S. 


JOINT AUTHOR OF 
“SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HUMAN WELFARE’’ 


joew ork 
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
1925 


All rights reserved 


CopyricHT, 1925, 
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, 





Set up and electrotyped. 
Published October, 1925. 


Printed in the United States of America by 
J. J. LITTLE AND IVES COMPANY, NEW YORK 


Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather 
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good frut; 
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruat. 

A good tree cannot bring forth evil frut, neither 
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

Every tree that bringeth not forth good frust is hewn 
down, and cast into the fire. 

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 


—Matthew 7:16-20 









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PREFACE 


Tux present study of “The Fruits of Mormonism” 
erew out of an insistant demand for the real facts 
concerning conditions existing among the people 
belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
day Saints. The opinions of people who have not 
had the opportunity of studying Mormonism at first 
hand have been so divergent that the honest seeker 
after the truth has become very much confused and 
he is calling for facts that are dependable. 

The authors have spent a number of years gath- 
ering the material contained in this volume and 
they have had the best possible opportunity of 
making personal observations in every part of 
“Mormondom.” 

In this inquiry no attempt has been made to 
determine the truth or falsity of Mormonism as a 
religion. No special consideration has been given 
to the theological teachings of the Church; we have 
been concerned with the pragmatic test showing its 
results and accomplishments. 

It has been our aim to make an examination in a 
scientific manner of the results of Mormonism after 
nearly a century of operation. Our point of view 
has been that of the scientist who sets the thing 


vill 


Vill PREFACE 


apart and examines it critically, using all available 
statistical material that can be verified by other 
workers. An especial attempt has been made to 
eliminate as nearly as possible all personal bias, and 
to present the truth as nearly as it can be discovered 
from the well-established and well-recognized sources 
of information. 

We have purposely left out of consideration 
material that might seem to be prejudiced or that 
might have the flavor of propaganda either for or 
against the system. We have tried to use only the 
material that would be admitted as evidence by any 
impartial student of human affairs. 

No attempt has been made to compare this Church 
with any other as to doctrine; we have concerned 
ourselves entirely with the accomplishment and con- 
ditions of the people who have been adherents of 
the Church. In other words, we have sought to dis- 
cover the place the people living under Mormonism 
hold when compared with other peoples of the 
country in those qualities and conditions which enter 
into human welfare. 

The chief sources of material have been the reports 
of the United States Census Bureau and the official 
reports of various state, county, and municipal 
statistic-gathering agencies. 

Practically all compilations have been made from 
original sources, and every attempt has been made 
to verify the truth of all quotations. 

The authors are under particular obligations to 


PREFACE 1X 


Dr. John A. Widtsoe, formerly President of the 
University of Utah, and of the Utah Agricultural 
College, and at present a member of the Council of 
Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints; to Dr. Adam 8. Bennion, Super- 
intendent of Church Schools; to Dr. George H. 
Brimhall, President-Emeritus; Dr. H. M. Wood- 
ward, Professor of Education ; Prof. John C. Swen- 
son, Professor of Economics and Sociology; Lowry 
Nelson, Director of Extension Work at the Brigham 
-Young University; and to Rev. Charles McCoard, 
pastor of the Community Church of Provo, Utah. 
All of these have read the manuscript and have 
offered valuable suggestions. 







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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


Le 


INTRODUCTORY RA EAVEN Hired fabiata eth, NOR ile Gane & 


Errect of PuitosopHy oF MorMONISM ON THE 
Lives of Irs MeMBERS . - - - + © © + 


EpUCATION AMONG THE MorMONS .. .- - - 
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE MorMons 


THe MormMons AS CoLONIZERS . - + + = « 


ArrrrupE or MorMoNS TOWARD GOVERNMENT . .- 
PATRIOTISM OF THE MorMONS . - - + = * 
Crarity WorK AMONG THE MorMONS . - - -; 
Heattu oF THE MoRMONS .- - + «© © = 
MorMoNn WoMEN AS MoTHERS - - + + © > 


MarrIAGE AND DIvoRCE AMONG THE MorRMONS. .- 
CHASTITY AMONG THE MorMONS. . - + «+ > 
A Srupy or INSANITY AMONG THE Mormons . .- 


Ture RELATION oF Mormons TO CRIME. . - + 


105 
116 
125 
130 





THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


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THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


GAC alee Ran) 
INTRODUCTORY 


Since the very dawn of history men have held 
antagonistic opinions which have resulted in quar- 
rels and strife. During primitive times this ten- 
dency manifested itself in a condition of practically 
continuous warfare between groups of people. As 
time went on actual fighting was gradually replaced 
by a tendency on the part of each group to separate 
itself from all the rest; those not belonging to the 
group were largely ostracized. There was no greater 
shame than to be thrown off from a particular group 
or caste. Our word “outcast” with all its unsavory 
implications comes to us from a time when it was a 
disgrace to be eliminated from a restricted caste and 
thrown out into the great outside world of people 
for whom no sympathy was felt. 

All of those from other lands were supposed to be 
bad; or at best they were queer. Our word “out- 
landish,” meaning barbarous or uncouth, originally 
meant simply persons from other lands. If they 
came from other places they must be inferior. 

This condition resulted largely from the fact that 

1 


2 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


there was very little opportunity for a sympathetic 
understanding of one people by another. Travel 
was very limited, and the fact that brigandage and 
robbery were common made the presence of 
strangers unwelcome. As a result those living in 
remote parts were looked upon with suspicion, and 
there was little or no attempt made to get the point 
of view of the other person. In those days distant 
pastures may have looked as green as they do today, 
but certainly distant peoples were not regarded with 
favor. | 

Even in our enlightened age with every facility 
for education and travel, these deep-seated preju- 
dices tend to remain. It is difficult for us to realize 
that in Finland there is less illiteracy than in our 
own country, or that in heathen China there is a 
civilization with a stability greater than that 
enjoyed in many countries which consider them- 
selves to be among the most enlightened. We sim- 
ply cannot get out of our minds that relic of bar- 
barism—prejudice—which induces us to believe that 
people with whom we are acquainted are good and 
those with whom we are unacquainted are bad. 

Fortunately, however, we are living in a time 
when facts are gradually replacing prejudice. This 
is becoming a scientific age, and science calls for the 
truth regardless of preconceived ideas or sentiments. 
It calls for the facts as nearly as they are discover- 
able and draws its conclusions on a basis of these 
facts. 


INTRODUCTORY 3 


The great advances that have been made in 
science during recent times have come about largely 
as a result of quantitative measurements. When 
things could be compared only approximately very 
little progress was made; but as soon as exact 
methods of weights and measurements were adopted 
progress came by leaps and bounds. In the progress 
of science thousands of years of rough estimates 
were not equal to a single decade of exact measure- 
ments. 

In the physical sciences methods of measuring 
matter and energy have reached a high state of 
perfection, and as a result progress is very rapid. 
In the social sciences our methods are not so well 
standardized; only the beginnings have been made. 
There is, however, just as much need for the 
methods of science in studying social problems as in 
unlocking the secrets of the physical world. For- 
tunately much attention is now being given to the 
exact methods of studying groups of people so that 
even now we do not need to rely wholly upon 
guesses concerning social progress; there are a few 
definite measuring rods available. 

For nearly a century there has been in this coun- 
try a movement that has attracted attention 
throughout the world. It has had applied to it 
enough prejudice to do full justice to the most 
primitive age. A person might easily believe him- 
self living in prehistoric times instead of in the 
twentieth century if he considered only the methods 


A THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 
of judgment that have frequently been used in 
connection with this movement. 

In the year 1830 in the State of New York a 
church was organized. It was designated as the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it 
soon became popularly known as “Mormonism” 
because of a standard book called the Book of Mor- 
mon adopted by the Church. The name “Mormon” 
as a designator of this religious body has never been 
official, and in a sense it is a misnomer, but since it 
is well known it will be used here interchangeably 
with the correct designation. 

This church on account of its claims to modern 
revelation became the center of rather bitter local 
attacks and its members were subjected to relentless 
persecution; but in spite of this persecution Mor- 
monism has steadily grown until it has become 
known for “good or evil” throughout the world. 

If a person should at the present time set out to 
ask people about this movement he could get many 
different shades of estimates regarding it. Unfor- 
tunately most of these estimates would be based on 
a very meager understanding of the real truth. 
Divergent opinions are the rule where the facts are 
unknown or disregarded. Realizing that there are 
many who are anxious to know just what the condi- 
tions are where Mormonism prevails, a study has 
been made to determine the facts as nearly as possi- 
ble. Exact quantitative figures have been sought 


INTRODUCTORY 5 


in order to make the study conform to the best 
scientific methods. 

If there are those who have made up their minds 
to be hostile to Mormonism they should have the 
facts in order that their hostility may not be dissi- 
pated in the dark; likewise those who are friendly 
will want to know the facts in order that their efforts 
may have more intelligent direction. The spirit of 
the real student however is not that of the hostile 
adversary nor of the blind champion; it is rather 
that of the investigator who is anxious to discover 
the facts, weigh the evidence, and base his conclu- 
sions on his findings. | 

It is believed that the material contained in this 
volume will be of value to all interested in Mor- 
monism be they friends or foes; or be they among 
those whose attitude is undetermined pending an 
investigation. 


CHAPTER 2 


EFFECT OF PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM ON THE 
LIVES OF ITS MEMBERS 


Tum real foundation of any system of religion is 
its philosophy: its explanation of the past, the 
present, and the future. Tied up with it will be the 
hopes of reward and the fears of punishment. The 
motive behind the actions of man is very greatly 
influenced by some sort of philosophy and this 
philosophy is really a crystallization of religious 
ideas and ideals. It is evident then that in a scien- 
tific study of any people and its accomplishments 
it becomes highly desirable to inquire into its funda- 
mental beliefs in order to find the actuating motives. 

In this study of the fruits of Mormonism we are 
not especially concerned with the religious beliefs 
of the Church except in so far as they influence the 
practices and conditions of the people. In other 
words, we are not making a study of theological 
doctrines, but rather of practical accomplishments. 
In doing this, however, we must inquire somewhat 
into the fundamental teachings in order to see 
what their probable effects are on the lives of the 


adherents. 
6 


PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM 7 


Let us see, then, what are the real basic principles 
of Mormon philosophy. For this information we 
should go to original sources such as the teachings 
of the leaders. Even a cursory glance at the standard 
works shows that Mormon philosophy is funda- 
mentally Christian philosophy. The fact that the 
Church styles itself the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints clearly indicates its Christian 
nature. The Church claims to be the real church 
of Christ established in the latter days through His 
direct command and after a pattern outlined by 
Him. It adheres to all of the teachings given to 
His followers in Judea and also to other scriptures 
which it claims are additional records of His teach- 
ings in which the gospel is explained in greater 
fullness than that found in the New Testament. 

The essence of Christ’s teaching was the injunc- 
tion to give to others where one is blessed with 
abundance instead of living for self alone; to do 
unto others as one would be done by; to live a 
simple life of service, unencumbered by hypocrisy 
or needless ritual; to keep in constant communica- 
tion with the Father in Heaven by prayer coming 
from the heart; and to be doers, and not merely 
teachers of the word of God. These fundamentals 
of the teachings of Christ are also the fundamentals 
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
Whatever He has taught becomes automatically part 
of the doctrine of His church. Mormonism accepts 
all of His teachings. 


8 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


Following the teachings and example of Christ, 
the Mormon church holds to the doctrine of a resur- 
rection of the body and it affirms that the status of 
the individual in the future life will be determined 
by the kind of life lived while on this earth. In 
other words, it holds that the Great Beyond is not 
merely a place where all are automatically made 
equal, but that it is a place of progress where each 
person takes up the work begun here on earth, with 
nothing added, and strives to make progress toward 
the goal reached by our Father in Heaven. 

It is evident that a philosophy of this sort is 
almost sure to have an uplifting effect on those who 
adhere to it. If all of their present actions are 
expected to influence their status throughout all 
eternity, the living of a righteous life becomes a 
serious matter. 

The Mormon philosophy of marriage has been 
the subject of relentless attack, probably in large 
measure because it has not been thoroughly under- 
stood. The belief concerning marriage is closely 
tied up with the doctrines of resurrection and 
salvation which have just been discussed. It is held 
that the family relation continues in the hereafter 
and that one of the elements in celestial joy is the 
proper marital condition. Just as a worthy family 
here is one of the greatest sources of happiness, it is 
believed that one’s posterity will throughout all 
eternity be one of the important elements in con- 
tentment. Plural marriage, which was at one time 


PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM g 


practiced to a limited extent in the Mormon church, 
found its justification in the possibility it afforded 
for a large posterity which would contribute to 
eternal joy. 

The placing of the entire marriage relation and 
family unity as an eternal covenant to be held 
sacred, not only for the years of life on the earth 
but also after resurrection, has had a stabilizing 
effect on the family life. It has had its decided 
influence in lowering the divorce rate and increasing 
the birth rate as well as in causing those who enter 
into this “celestial order of marriage” to regard any 
infraction of strict chastity as a much more serious 
offense than it is regarded by many who consider 
marriage as merely a temporary contract to be dis- 
regarded at will. 

The doctrine in the philosophy of Mormonism 
which is probably most far reaching in its effect on 
the lives of its adherents is that of eternal progres- 
sion. The gist of this doctrine is that man may 
continue to grow in learning and wisdom throughout 
all eternity and that this progress may eventually 
enable him to attain a state of perfection approach- 
ing that now held by God, Himself. In other words, 
all the progress a person makes 1s not confined to 
his three-score-and-ten years of earthly existence. 
In the future life conditions for progress will be even 
better than they are here, and the same joy which 
accompanies advancement during life will continue 
in eternity. 


10 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


The doctrine of eternal progression e¢arries with 
it the idea that whatever knowledge a person gains 
in life will be his after his resurrection. It considers 
it impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance. 
Further, salvation and exaltation are exactly in 
proportion to knowledge and intelligence which help 
to place man in harmony with the great laws of the 
universe—laws that God has discovered and has 
learned to use for His own advancement. 

This point of view is so thoroughly tied up with 
the necessity for individual effort that it exerts a 
profound influence on all the actions of those who 
believe in it. Salvation is changed from the view 
of an external bestowal conditioned largely by a 
limited number of infringements of the command- 
ments to a stage of progress dependent entirely on 
individual effort. A religion when looked at from 
this point of view tends to be a living, dynamic force 
entering into the daily actions of men and women. 

The Mormon principle of eternal progression 
should make of Mormon men and women individuals 
who seek each day to place themselves on a higher 
plane of progress. 

This leads to the doctrine of continued revelation 
which is one of the corner-stones of Mormon philos- 
ophy. Stated in simple form, this doctrine teaches 
that God reveals Himself to His children on earth 
from time to time as He thinks necessary. Anciently 
through His prophets He revealed His mind and will 
to His children. Many of these revelations have 


PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM 11 


been gathered together and made into a book of 
ancient scriptures which we call the Bible. Through- 
out the world where they have been seriously 
studied, these scriptures have been a great aid in 
helping mankind to progress to a higher civilization 
and to look forward to a great future life. 

Since conditions in the world are constantly 
changing it would seem that, if there is a kind 
Father watching over His children, new divine 
instructions will be needed from time to time in 
order that guidance may be had under the new 
situations which are continually arising. The reve- 
lations given through Moses were not sufficient for 
all time; hence new divine teachings were given 
when Christ came to earth. Many of the Christian 
sects claim that Christ brought the final revelations 
to earth although it is not clear why more should 
not be given except that a chapter in the Bible says 
the book of revelation is closed. The Latter-day 
Saints claim that this wording merely refers to that 
specific book or time, and that revelations from God 
have been given since then and will continue to be 
given in the future. It is claimed that within the 
past hundred years God has given revelations which 
help to make more plain the teachings of Christ and 
the ancient prophets, and also to impart specific 
instruction for the guidance of the Church in modern 
times. The belief is expressed concisely in the ninth 
Article of Faith of the Church which says: “We 
believe all that God has revealed, all that He does 


12 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal 
many great and important things pertaining to the 
Kingdom of God.” 

Let us briefly consider what effect this kind of 
belief would likely have on the lives of those who 
hold it. In the first place, the Church would become 
a dynamic and not a static organization; it would 
become an organization which could be used to meet 
the problems of the day instead of confining itself 
entirely to the interest of past generations. This 
would very likely give a general attitude of open- 
mindedness not possible where it was thought that 
all truth had been restored and confined in ancient 
archives. 

Going hand in hand with the spiritual phases of 
Mormon philosophy are a number of practical doc- 
trines which are designed to promote man’s temporal 
welfare. One of these is what is called the Word of 
Wisdom, found in Section 89 of the Doctrine and 
Covenants. This revelation given February 27, 
1833, teaches that certain things are not good for 
man. It mentions particularly “wine or strong 
drink” and tobacco; it also gives wholesome advice 
regarding foods. Modern science is substantiating 
the wisdom of this advice given at a time when very 
little was known about the principles of nutrition. 

Growing out of this Word of Wisdom and backed 
by other statements in the Doctrine and Covenants * 


1Sec. 59:20. (The Doctrine and Covenants is a book of mod- 
ern revelations, and is one of the “standard works” of the Church.) 


PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM 13 


a sentiment has arisen among members of the 
Church strongly condemning any intemperance or 
excess which would injure the body or lower the 
efficiency of the individual. Thus caring for the 
body has taken its place as a religious principle 
which affects the welfare of the soul. Because the 
body and spirit taken together are considered as the 
soul of man, it is thought that anything that tends 
to degrade the body, automatically retards the prog- 
ress of the individual, and consequently helps defeat 
the individual’s progress toward the great goal of life. 
Those who follow the Word of Wisdom refrain from 
the use of all intoxicants, from tobacco, from tea and 
coffee and from anything else that is known to be 
injurious to the body. They also avoid over-eating, 
over-working or any other excess. This means that 
the Mormon people, if they are living according to 
the rules of the Church, are temperate and that 
they avoid over-indulgence in every form. Of course, 
there are those professing membership in the Church 
who may break all rules, but there is no doubt that 
the teachings of the Church in these practical affairs 
have a salutary influence on the methods of living 
of hundreds of thousands of its members. 

One of the cardinal principles of the Church is 
that it welcomes truth from whatever source it may 
come. This idea is expressed in the thirteenth 
Article of Faith in the following words: “If there is 
anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or 
praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” By this 


14 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


principle the Church holds itself open to receive the 
teachings of science, but does not consider it a duty 
to pass on the truth or falsity of any of the theories 
of science, which must by its own methods discover 
its truths; but when the truth is once established the 
Church is ready to welcome it no matter what its 
import may be. 

One of the outstanding features in the organiza- 
tion of the Mormon Church is that every member 
is supposed to be an active worker. There is no paid 
clergy and any person may be called upon to perform 
the work of the Church. Among those who preside 
in the local units, called wards, may be found busi- 
ness men, lawyers, doctors, farmers, school teachers, 
and others who earn their living at their regular 
occupations and devote as much of their spare time 
as is needed to the Church. The missionary work is 
also carried on by men and women who are called 
into the service and who not only give their time 
gratuitously but also pay their own expenses. 

This active functioning of all members means that 
the entire organization is exceedingly democratic. 
It does not mean that responsibility is not central- 
ized; on the contrary the duties of the officers are 
well defined, but each person whether officer or 
member may at any time be called upon for almost 
any kind of service. Any man in a Mormon audi- 
ence might be called upon to speak, and it is 
probable that if he were so called he would have 
something worth while to say. This makes Mor- 


PHILOSOPHY OF MORMONISM 15 


monism decidedly a religion for the people and not 
for the priest. It is a religion that is understood 
and can be defended by an unusually large number 
of its members. 

The above are but a few of the tenets of Mormon 
philosophy that might be discussed; but these are 
typical of the fundamental teachings of the Church 
and it is believed that an understanding of these 
doctrines will help in interpreting the motives that 
actuate its members. The philosophy of a people 
will guide its actions and will ultimately determine 
its accomplishments. 


CHAPTER 3 
EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 


Never before in the history of the world has it 
been so apparent that ignorance must give way to 
intelligence. The forces of nature must be harnessed 
for the use of man; disease must be banished from 
the earth; and men must learn to live and work 
together in peace. These results can be attained 
only through the aid of universal education; and 
that people which most rapidly prepares itself 
through education to secure these conditions will 
lead the procession of those who are marching 
toward a higher civilization. In our study of the 
effect of Mormonism on its members, it will be well 
to consider what is being done among this people in 
education, since the answer to this question will in 
large measure give a clue to the station they will 
occupy among the future inhabitants of the world. 
Their attitude toward education is of first concern. 

Among the doctrines and teachings of the Church 
are found such statements as: “A man is saved no 
faster than he gains intelligence,” “The glory of God 
is intelligence,’ “If a person gains more knowledge 
and intelligence in this life through his diligence 

16 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 17 


and obedience than another he will have so much 
the advantage in the world to come.” ! The view 
of the Latter-Day Saints that God wishes man to 
strive to learn all the great secrets of the universe 
which He, at present, knows, and try to correlate 
these discoveries with His will, and the view that 
every fact learned in this world will be retained and 
added to the sum total of intelligence in the here- 
after, should give this people unusual zeal in gaining 
an education. 

In accordance with the doctrines mentioned 
above, the Mormon Church has fostered education 
almost from the year of its founding in 1830. 
Committees began to select and write school books 
for special use in the Church schools as early as 1831. 
So great was the demand for education that only a 
portion of those calling for schooling could be accom- 
modated in 1835. Even during the troublesome 
years from 1835 to 1847 when the people were com- 
pelled by persecution to move to a new locality 
every few years, schools were established at each 
new place of settlement. At Nauvoo, Illinois, the 
schools were becoming important, and a great uni- 
versity was being planned, when the Mormons were 
driven from the State. 

In the isolated region of the Rocky Mountains 
after the perilous migration with ox teams across 
the Great American Desert, one of the first concerns 
of the people was the establishment of schools. The 

*Doc. and Cov., 88: 77-79; 88: 118; 90: 15; 130: 18-19. 


18 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


first of the pioneers reached Utah in late July, 1847, 
and it required a great amount of effort to plant 
and harvest crops, haul timber for houses from 
the neighboring mountains, and do other urgent 
tasks, but there was a school held that first winter. 
In 1849, when the City of Salt Lake was incor- 
porated, one of the ordinances provided for the 
establishment of common schools. Although its 
instruction was not of a university grade until later, 
the University of Deseret (later Utah) was founded 
less than three years after the arrival of the pioneers 
in the territory. The common schools were sup- 
ported by tuition until the latter part of the 
seventies and the first part of the eighties. 

High school work, outside of a limited amount in 
the two cities, Ogden and Salt Lake, was almost 
entirely confined to the Mormon Church until after 
the first years of the present century. The census 
of 1890, which gives both public and private stu- 
dents, shows that there were in Utah 418 secondary 
students in public schools and 2476 in private ones, 
or in other words 85.6 per cent of all secondary 
students were in some kind of private schools. The 
average for the whole United States was 48.8 per 
cent. There were 11.9 secondary students in Utah 
private schools in each 1000 general population, 
whereas the average for all states was only 4.7. 

The curriculum of Mormon schools today, as in 
the past, shows that the courses of study are essen- 
tially the same as those of the public schools except 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS | 19 


that theology is added. The Church does not try 
to dominate the public educational system even in 
regions where its members predominate. The main 
concern is that everyone be given a well rounded 
education of a satisfactory nature. When efficient 
public schools were established in Utah, the grade 
schools of the Church were gradually eliminated 
until today only about 15 per cent of the total 
students in Mormon schools belong to grades below 
the high school and most of these are in schools used 
for teacher training or they are in communities 
where public schools are not adequate. The same 
policy of retrenchment is being followed today with 
high schools and most of the Church support is now 
reserved for the higher educational institutions, 
where it is most needed. In this way needless 
duplication of teaching equipment is avoided and 
the tax upon the people for education is held at a 
minimum. 

In order to arrive at the true status of education 
among the Mormons it is necessary to make com- 
parisons with other sections of the United States. 
This can be done by using statistics gathered by the 
U. 8. Census Bureau and also by the U. S. Bureau 
of Education. The Mormon Church has records of 
the number of student members in all institutions 
for the year ending in 1922 and for Church institu- 
tions before that time. 

Present Educational Conditions in Utah: Literacy. 
A negative expression of education is that of illit- 


99 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


eracy. The government considers this item of such 
importance that it has been included in the regular 
10 year census enumeration for several decades. 
Since the 1920 enumeration is considered the most 
accurate one yet made, and because the previous 
ones show somewhat the same facts, only this year 
will be considered here. 

In 1920 there were eight states which had a lower 
percentage of total illiterates than Utah. Of the 
persons native to the state,, however, Missouri with 
a percentage of 0.2 illiterates is the only one posi- 
tively above Utah, although there were four states 
and the District of Columbia with 0.3 per cent, the 
same as Utah. It is thus seen that the native popu- 
lation of Utah ranks among the best states in point 
of literacy. 

If the counties of Utah are grouped according to 
the percentage of Mormons they contained in 1916,” 


2The U. §. Government has reported the number of members 
of the various churches during the three years 1890, 1906, and 
1916. The Census for 1916 is used throughout this study because 
it is the latest authoritative report, and it is also more accurate 
than either of the former ones. The 1906 Census is rejected even 
where the data seem to call for the use of the membership during 
that time because it seems obviously incomplete for “Mormons” ; 
this is especially noticeable when the separate counties of Utah 
are compared for the three periods. The rate of growth of the 
“Mormon” Church between 1890 and 1916 as given by the U. §. 
Census corresponds fairly well with that of the Mormon Church 
statistics, whereas the U. S. Census for 1906 is markedly out of 
place when compared with Mormon figures or with the theoretical 
rate of growth. The 1916 Census is about 0.7 per cent below 
that of the Mormon official statistics for membership in Utah. 
For grouping of counties see Figure 9, p. 133. 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 21. 


the results given in the following table are ob- 
tained: 


TABLE SHOWING ILLITERACY IN Groups or Utan CouNTIES WITH 
DIFFERENT Proportion oF Mormons 
Atta fhe Sa AAT eM AN la Ret asd le AR Na ML TRIS RIEL O RE RL DS 
Per Cent of Mormons Illiteracy Illiteracy 


in Counties Total Population | Native Population 
A DOV GOUT asa cits ci Atha nlet 1.03 0.32 
ALS ED Voss CE USI Read ee 122 0.36 
DVRS BA AL ME gi 1.14 0.61 
EIS Mie AGT GA an en ey 1.94 0.24 
7b ES nk bal Aig eR 6.09 0.58 





The section of the above table which relates to 
the total population indicates a distinctive rela- 
tionship in which the counties with the largest pro- 
portion of Mormons appear to be less illiterate than 
the other. The section dealing with the native white 
population is not so distinctive although the rela- 
tionship tends to be the same as for total illiterates. 
The group including counties with 47 to 57 per cent 
Mormons includes Salt Lake City and Ogden with 
a native white illiteracy of only 0.22 and 0.27 per 
cents respectively and the large population lowers 
the rate for the whole group. The total number of 
native white illiterates in the groups in the table 
was only 90 to 307 and these small numbers do not 
make close comparisons of much significance. The 
numbers for total illiterates on the other hand were 
from 351 to 3266 and are therefore of more weight. 

Per Cent of Children Attending School. The most 


22 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


important item in insuring education for the present 
generation is to get the children to go to “the foun- 
tains of education.” This item of course is largely 
dependent upon the attitude the parents take 
toward learning. Laws with regard to education 
may be passed but, if a great number of the parents 
look with disfavor upon the laws, they will not be 
enforced. | 

To compare school attendance in Utah with other 
states the 1920 census figures are useful. Attendance 
is reported for the age periods 7-13, 14-15, 16-17, 
_ and 18-20. Utah had 95.5 per cent of her population 
of ages 7-13 attending school as compared with 90.6 
for the whole United States. Massachusetts, Ohio, 
and Rhode Island, with percentages of 96.1, 96.0, 
and 95.6 respectively were the only states exceeding 
Utah. In percentage of school attendance for the 
age groups above 13 years, Utah held first rank 
among the states. The rates for Utah and the 
average for the United States for these groups are 
as follows: 





Per Cent ATTENDING ScHooL At AGE GRouP 


7-13 14-15 16-17 18-20 


TGA Neo ioral. 95.5 93.7 714 24.7 
DBS ti eee mee 90.6 79.9 42.9 148 





The State of Utah, with the exception of the first 
age group, then, stands at the head of all states in 
school attendance. But is this due to the Mormons? 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS | 23 


A classification of the counties into those with dif- 
ferent percentages of Mormons as was done above 
for illiteracy should help to illuminate this point. 
Such a listing gives the results shown in the follow- 
ing table: 

TaBLE SHOWING Per Cent or ScHooL CHILDREN ATTENDING ScHOOL 


1920 sy Ack GrRouPS AND IN CoUNTIES WITH GIVEN 
PERCENTAGES OF MorMONS 


Percentage of Age Groups 
Mormons in A 

Counties 7-13 14-15 16-17 18-20 
Above 90.......... 96.6 95.6 78.2 29.5 
BORO te cys Sie Ss, 96.2 93.8 72.9 27.9 
Bisvo css cones; 96.3 95.4 77.5 29.3 
oY PSTY Rig Te ah Se a 95.1 93.2 68.3 223 
eed Ce eet hee ie, 92.8 89.3 60.8 14.9 


A study of this table shows that, with the excep- 
tion of the third group from the top (61-73 per cent 
Mormons) which has a better school attendance 
than the second group, there is a decrease in the per 
cent of children attending school at every school 
age, aS the percentage of Mormons in the counties 
decreases. Stated in another way, the figures indi- 
cate that school attendance among the Mormon 
population is considerably above the average of the 
State. Both of the groups of counties with less than 
60 per cent of Mormons fell below the average for 
the State in all age groups, whereas the upper three 
groups of Mormon counties are all above the state 
average. No state in the Union exceeded, at any 


24. THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


age group, the percentage attendance of the Utah 
counties which contained more than 60 per cent 
Mormons. 

It will be seen from the table that the great 
superiority of the Mormons over the others lies in 
the high proportion of the older age groups attend- 
ing school. All are expected to attend school in 
Utah until they are over 17 years of age unless they 
can give satisfactory evidence that this would work 
a hardship on themselves or those dependent on 
them. In the age group 16-17 it appears that the 
parents in the counties high in Mormons found 
fewer excuses for allowing their children to miss 
school than did those in counties low in Mormons. 
The superiority of the high Mormon counties is 
still manifested in the attendance in the group above 
the compulsory school age. All these indications 
point in the same direction; the Mormons maintain 
a very favorable attitude toward education. 

Factors of Education. Excellent as are these 
figures, they are faulty in the fact that they do not 
indicate the extent to which the children attend 
school. To secure more complete data recourse 
must be had to the special educational facts com- 
piled by the U. 8. Bureau of Education. Reports of 
the public school systems, and to an extent the 
private schools also, are published biennially. 

Perhaps the most important factor in school work 
is regular attendance. Irregularity in this respect 
means that a training in continuous lines cannot be 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS = 25 


given, and without this the value of school training 
is reduced. 

In the school year 1919-1920 * the average daily 
attendance of all Utah children between the ages of 
5 and 18 was 72.6 per cent as compared with 58.2 
for the whole United States. Oregon with 76 per 
cent attendance was the only state showing a better 
record than Utah. In this item during the school 
years ending in 1918 and 1910 and 1900 Utah ranked 
ninth, thirteenth, and tenth respectively. 

Learning is more or less an absorptive process and 
the longer an unsaturated mind remains in contact 
with knowledge the more of it is held and becomes 
of permanent use. Therefore the total number of 
days each child attends school during each year 
influences the amount learned. The best school 
records are those with the longest daily attendance 
per year. For the school year ending in 1920 3 the 
average number of days attended by each child of 
school age was 120.8 in Utah and 94.3 for the whole 
United States. California with 123.2 and the Dis- 
trict of Columbia with 121.1 were the only localities 
with a greater average number of days attended than 
Utah. There were 21 states which kept their schools 
open a greater number of days during the year than 
did Utah (166.4 days) but only the two were able 
to get a greater aggregate number of days’ schooling 
for their children. The rank among the 49 states 


* Bur. Education Bul. 1922, No. 29, p. 16. 
“Ayres: An Index Number for State School Systems, 


26 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


held by Utah with respect to the number of days 
attended during the year 1918, 1910, and 1900 
was tenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth respectively, 
whereas in the number of days schools were 
kept open the rank was nineteenth, twentieth, and 
twenty-first.* 

While it is not altogether true that “a little learn- 
ing is a dangerous thing,” it is true that for the 
average person the value of each addition in learning 
after the first becomes magnified in its true value 
to the person and to society, much beyond what is 
indicated by school grades. For this reason the pro- 
portion of children who continue their education 
beyond the grade schools is of vital importance. The 
government reports *® show that there was in 1920 
an average of 35.7 secondary students to each 1000 
persons living in Utah. The average for the United 
States was 19.3 and no state other than Utah was 
higher than 32.3 per 1000. 

Under present conditions in most localities the 
iron hand of the law is used to persuade our youth 
of the advantages of the school room until they have 
received a diploma from the eighth grade after which 
freedom of will is granted. If the student, or in 
many cases the parent, has been convinced of the. 
advantage of further education, he plods along 
through the higher schools as though unaware that 
the iron hand no longer threatened. In the form of 


* Ayres: An Index Number for State School Systems. 
* Bur. Education Bulletin 1923, No. 16, p. 37, 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 27 


the proportion of secondary to total students in all 
grades, educators use this choice of the students re- 
garding further education as a measuring stick of the 
efficiency of educational systems. If this is done for 
the public schools of Utah for 1920,° the percentage 
of secondary students is 12 as compared with 10.2 
for the whole United States and Utah holds place 
17 from the top among the states. It is hardly fair 
to compare Utah in this way, however, as she has 
nearly 20 per cent of her secondary students in 
private schools, whereas the average for the whole 
country is only 9, and only a few states have as large 
a proportion of private secondary students as Utah. 
If both public and private schools are considered 
the percentage of secondary students in Utah is 14.8, 
and in the whole United States the average 1s 10.4. 
Only six states have a larger proportion than Utah. 
Counting both public and secondary students, there 
were 9 states exceeding the proportion which Utah 
had in 1918.7 

A vital factor in an educational system is the 
financial support given the schools by the people. 
Good instructors and equipment greatly increase the 
efficiency of the schooling, and without a liberal 
supply of money appropriated for education the best 
grade of teachers and equipment are not to be 
expected. In 1920* Utah spent 3.8 per cent of the 


* Ibid., p. 5. 

7 Bur. Education Bulletin 1919, No. 90, p. 39. 

§ Financial statistics of Public Education in the U. S. 1910-1920. 
Mabel Newcomer, Macmillan, pp. 33, 43, 


28 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


total earnings of its people to support its schools, 
whereas the average for all states was 1.6 per cent, 
and only two states spent a larger proportion for 
schools than did Utah. The expenditure for school 
purposes in Utah amounted to $18.26 per capita; 
that for the whole United States, $9.94. When it is 
remembered that the secondary schools are much 
more expensive than the grades, and that the pro- 
portion of secondary students supported from pri- 
vate funds in Utah is more than double the average 
for the whole United States it is seen that Utah is 
very liberal in its support of schools. 

In comparing expenditures for school purposes 
educators more commonly use the expenditure per 
child of school age than that for the total population 
and the large proportion of children to total popula- 
tion in Utah gives her a lower standing than the 
figures in the above paragraph would indicate. In 
the two years 1918 and 1920 there were 13 states 
which spent more than $40.67 and $46.43, the figures 
for state expenditures per child of school age for 
public schools in Utah. 

General Efficiency of Utah Schools. In order to 
make general comparisons involving the school Sys- 
tems in different states, educators frequently use 
what is known as the Ayres Index Number, a num- 
ber which is supposed to combine the main factors 
affecting the efficiency of school systems into a single 
mathematical expression. This number is an aver- 
age of 10 factors of which the following five are 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 29 


educational in nature: (1) Per cent of school popu- 
lation in daily attendance, (2) Average days’ attend- 
ance by each child of school age, (8) Average days 
schools are kept open, (4) Per cent of total students 
attending high schools, and (5) Per cent that boys 
were of girls in high school. The other five factors 
which depend upon the money spent for education, 
are as follows: (6) Average annual expenditure per 
child attending, (7) Average annual expenditure per 
child of school age, (8) Average annual expenditure 
per teacher employed, (9) Expenditure per pupil for 
purposes other than teachers’ salaries, and (10) 
Expenditure per teacher for salaries. These factors 
are worked out from statistics found in the U. 5. 
Bureau of Education publications for the various 
years, and include only statistics from public schools. 
A study of the above factors will show that the most 
vital ones to a good school system are the first four 
and the seventh. If these are good the rest are likely 
to be good also. Where all five of the financial 
factors are used and: given equal weight with the 
educational factors, an undue weight is likely to be 
given to financial matters. 

Using the Ayres index with all factors, Utah when 
compared with all other states, held rank 28 in 1890, 
11 in 1900, 9 in 1910 and 1916, and 8 in 1918 ® and 
1920.1° The private school systems in Utah have 
had more or less influence on this apparent increase 


° Ayres: An Index Number for State School Systems. 
” From Bur. Education Bul. 1922, No. 29. 


30 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


in relative efficiency as compared with other states. 
At the beginning of the present century when there 
were relatively few public secondary schools in Utah 
the private, or parochial, schools of this class were 
handling nearly two-thirds of all the expensive 
secondary students.11 | 

According to the U. S. Census for 1890, Utah had 
90.3 private students per 1000 population whereas 
the average for all states was only 12.9 and no other 
state had such a relatively high private enrollment. 
This condition, since the Ayres index number con- 
siders only public students, lowered Utah’s rank 
unjustifiably. During the last few decades the 
Mormon Church has been gradually eliminating the 
grade and secondary students from its schools, and 
this accounts for not a little of the apparent increase 
in relative standing of Utah among the states in 
education. 

If only the first five of the educational factors of 
the Ayres index numbers are averaged for 1920 12 
it is found that Utah ranked fourth among the 
states, and if the private secondary students are also 
included, third. Counting the private secondary 
students Utah held this place in 1918 also. If only 
the public secondary students are considered as is 
done in Ayres’ book1* Utah, for these first five 
factors, ranked only thirteenth in 1918. 


“See Reports of the Commissioner of Education. 
“From Bur. Education Bul. 1922, No. 29. 
* An Index Number for State School Systems, p. 55. 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS  3l 


As mentioned above, the first four and the seventh 
of the Ayres factors are the most vital ones in judg- 
ing the value of school systems. For the year 1920, 
an average of those factors in which the private as 
well as the public secondary students are considered 
gives Utah position 5 instead of 8 among the states 
as determined by using all ten of the factors. 

Higher Education Among the Mormons. Still 
another test which will help to determine the atti- 
tude of a people toward education is the relative 
number who attend the higher institutions of learn- 
ing. A meager relative number indicates either a 
lack of capability for higher learning or a negative 
attitude. An organization which takes a positive 
stand either way toward an issue will have more or 
less influence upon the attitude of its members. If 
any one is not favorable to ordinary education he 
should look with particular disfavor upon higher 
education because such education means .that the 
most comprehensive views of all phases of science, 
philosophy and education are likely to be gained. 
Therefore if education, even -in its fullest meaning, 
is discouraged by the Mormons this fact should be 
indicated by a relatively small number of student 
members attending the higher institutions of 
learning. 

As far as is known only three public surveys of 
the United States have been made which will throw 
any light on this subject and these surveys cover 
only the states and do not give information so that 


32 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


we can segregate the Mormons. However, as the 
Mormons constitute about two-thirds of the popula- 
tion of Utah,'* any unusual tendency should be indi- 
cated by the State as a whole. The surveys referred 
to were made for the school years 1896-97, 1920-21 
and 1922-23.15 Besides these the Mormon Church 
gathered statistics on the number of members 
attending such institutions in 1922. 

The survey of 1896-97 shows that the State of 
Utah had 791 inhabitants for each student attending 
higher institutions in that year. There were 19 
states with as high or a higher proportion of their 
population attending colleges. 

In the 1920-21 survey Utah had one college 
student for each 137 inhabitants. The District of 
Columbia, Oregon, and Iowa, were the only other 
localities which had a larger proportionate number 
of students. A high quality of colleges and univer- 
sities in Utah is indicated by the fact that 83.5 per 
cent of all college students reporting Utah as their 
state of residence were attending Utah institutions. 
California and Oregon were the only states with a 
higher percentage of native students attending local 
colleges than had Utah. 

The 1922-23 survey of higher educational institu- 
tions was the most complete one made thus far. In 
it Utah is credited with one college student for each 


™ Religious Bodies, 1916, and Estimates of Population of the 
U. S., 1910-1923. 

“U. S. Bureau of Education Bulletin 1922, Number 18, and 
School and Society 21, pp. 415-422. 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS 33 


99 general population, the largest proportion of any 
state in the Union. The average for the United 
States was one student to each 212 population, and 
the District of Columbia with one student to each 
103 population was next in rank to Utah. A per- 
centage of 86.7 Utah students attending colleges in 
Utah gave the State fourth place among all states 
in this regard. 

The great institutions in California, Illinois, New 
York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in which 
are found most of the students who reside in Utah, 
but who are attending school elsewhere, are, for the 
most part, training only those students who have 
secured all the education available along their line 
of study in Utah. Educators of national renown in 
some of these great institutions have stated that the 
quality of the students from Utah is, on the average, 
of the highest grade found in these universities. 
Several of the highest scholarship awards given in 
the United States have gone to students from Utah. 

To throw the light of this investigation more 
directly upon the Mormons, let us examine the 
statistics on college students officially gathered by 
them. Unfortunately the records showing student 
members attending all institutions of learning were 
gathered between the dates of the recent surveys 
made by the U.S. Government so that a direct com- 
parison cannot be made. The students attending 
schools of this Church have been kept for many 
years and the number attending in 1921-22 when 


34. THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


the complete survey was made of all students does 
not indicate an abnormal number to have been 
attending other institutions. In that school year 
there was one college student for each 117 members, 
or arate which would place the Mormons among the 
upper two or three states in proportion of college 
students, according to which year the comparison 
was made. 

To sum up the evidence brought out in this dis- 
cussion concerning the attitude of the Mormons 
toward education, it may be said that the State of 
Utah is one of the highest states in the United States 
in literacy, and the counties high in Mormons are 
considerably better in this regard than the others. 
Both the U. 8. Bureau of Census and the U. S. 
Bureau of Education reports indicate that Utah is 
among the very highest states in the percentage of 
children attending school. Data from the Census 
Bureau show that the counties of Utah high in 
Mormons are above the average in percentage of 
children attending school and counties low in 
Mormons are below the average in this regard. In 
the average number of days the children attended 
school during the year 1920 the State of Utah held 
second place among all states. Utah held sixth 
place in the proportion of children attending school 
beyond the elementary grades. The proportion of 
public money coming from state funds spent for 
educational purposes in Utah was the highest in the 
United States in 1919, and the percentage of the 


EDUCATION AMONG THE MORMONS | 35 
total income of Utah spent for education is high. 
However, because of the greater relative number of 
children, the expenditure per child of school age is 
not so great as that of several other states. The 
Ayres index numbers indicate Utah to rank among 
the best states in the nation in general efficiency of 
school systems. In the school year ending in 1921 
there were only two states with a larger proportion 
of their residents attending colleges and universities 
than Utah, and in the year ending in 1923 Utah had 
the largest proportion in the United States. Figures 
gathered by the Mormon Church indicate that 
college and university attendance among its mem- 
bers is at least equal and probably superior to that 
for the entire State of Utah. 


CHAPTER 4 
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE MORMONS 


THE world never takes down her sign: “Leaders 
wanted—men who have the ability and inclination 
to do big, progressive things for the benefit of others 
as well as for themselves.” It is when men of out- 
standing ability step forward in answer to this call 
that we find our homes, our cities, our state, and our 
nation making forward strides. Other things being 
equal, the most satisfactory living conditions are 
found where the greatest number of good leaders are 
found. It is possible to produce superior leaders 
by correctly training those who have a proper 
heritage for doing big things; conversely, potential 
leaders may fail to develop if they are not properly 
trained. For these reasons, any system which tends 
to bring out the latent possibilities of men must be 
looked upon with favor. 

Does the Mormon Church tend to develop leader- 
ship? To answer such a question is somewhat 
difficult because of a lack of definite standards which 
can be applied in making comparisons. For the 
superior type of leaders who are known nationally, 


however, we can make comparisons from the number 
36 


LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 37 


of persons included in “Who’s Who in America.” In 
the 1922-23 edition of this publication the birth 
places are given on page 19. The proportion of 
those men who were born in Utah should indicate 
to an extent the influence which the Mormons have 
exerted in producing national leaders, because the 
Mormons constituted a large portion of the popula- 
tion of Utah when these leaders were born and 
reared. 

In proportioning the leaders to the population so 
as to make a comparison, the average number of 
inhabitants at the time the leaders were born and 
being trained should give the most fair basis. As 
the average age of those in “Who’s Who” is 50 to 55 
years, the average population of the states during 
the Census periods, 1860 to 1880, with a double 
weight for the year 1870 was used as the most satis- 
factory for this purpose. 

Calculating to a base of 100,000 population, it is 
found that Utah produced 78 leaders as compared 
with 54 for the whole United States. The six New 
England states all produced a larger proportion of 
prominent persons than did Utah, but Utah led all 
others. That the place held by Utah is not peculiar 
to the West is seen from the fact that Colorado, 
with a rate of 60 and Nebraska with 59, were the 
only states other than Utah, west of the Missouri 
River with a rate as high as the average of the 
United States. The rates for other states in the 
Rocky Mountain division are: Montana, 48; Idaho, 


38 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


34; Wyoming, 46; New Mexico, 8; Arizona, 4; and 
Nevada, 52. 

The leaders from Utah represent a wide field of 
activity. Among them are found statesmen, judges, 
lawyers, governors, prominent business men, physi- 
clans, educators, directors of experiment stations, 
college presidents, artists, writers, musicians, drama- 
tists, etc. Their quality is attested by the prominent 
positions many of them are holding, both in the 
State and in other states throughout the nation. 
Many large schools of higher learning have Utah 
born and trained men on their faculties, and a large 
proportion of this class of professors in Utah are 
native products. 

While the proportion of Mormons included in 
“Who’s Who” cannot be calculated, as above, be- 
cause there is no accurate record of the Mormon 
population prior to 1890, it may be stated that in 
proportion to the present population the Mormons 
included in “Who’s Who” more than equal the per 
cent from the State of Utah. It may be inferred 
from this that the exceptionally high proportion of 
leaders coming from Utah is, to no small extent, 
due to some influence which the Mormon Church 
has upon its members. 

Other evidence that the Mormon organization is 
productive of leaders is found in statements of 
observers. Governor McConnell of Idaho, in answer 
to an inquiry concerning the Mormons, said:! “My 

*A letter dated Aug. 18, 1896. 


LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 39 


experience among the Mormons, and my informa- 
tion as to the working of their church organization, 
have led me to believe that for practical Christian 
results, they have the best organization on earth.” 
Bishop Tuttle of the Episcopal Church in talking 
about the Mormon organization wrote:? “Much sat- 
isfaction is given to the self-assertion, ambition, and 
desire for leadership, natural to man. There is 
strength in this. Furthermore may it not be said, 
and might not bishops and rectors of our own 
Church be profited by taking heed to the saying, 
that intelligent interest and loyalty and devotion of 
disciples are sure to be promoted by according to 
them some authority and devolving upon them 
responsibility.” 

After visiting Utah and seeing the work being 
done by Utah Scout organizations, George J. Fisher, 
Deputy Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts 
of America, wrote a letter stating that:? “Utah 
excels in the number of boys reached in proportion 
to the population. In many communities practi- 
cally all of the boys available are scouts. There 
are more boys of advanced rank and a greater per- 
centage of Eagle scouts than in any other section of 
America. Scouting reaches the boys not only in the 
large centers of the State, but in the remotest 
villages. . . . Scouting is raising up a fine breed of 
boys in Utah. It is giving them splendid executive 


?New York Sun. 
*Improvement Era, Vol. 27, pp. 71-72. 


40 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


training that will fit them for effective leadership. 
... That state is a great state which gives to its 
youth its first attention. Utah excels in that regard. 
The secret of it all is that splendid, high-motived 
men are giving themselves unselfishly to the boys of 
the state. ... Utah is setting standards for the 
whole country. Utah is repeating history. Just as 
she developed the early scouts, the great heroes of 
pioneer days, so now she is raising up boys scouts, 
caught by the same spirit of enterprise, by the same 
spirit of adventure. . . . The Mormon Church is the 
largest factor in this splendid achievement. She it 
is that is furnishing men and vision and ideals to the 
young men throughout the state, and they as scout- 
masters in the great majority are inspiring the youth 
of the state to become good scouts.” 

In the quotations given above are found some of 
the factors which help to explain the development 
of leadership among the Latter-day Saints. The 
Church lays great stress on brotherly love. Not only 
is it urged from the pulpit, but it is also brought 
into the daily lives by meetings several times a week, 
by a commingling of members from widely separated 
regions at general conferences, by monthly visits of 
the families by the “Ward Teachers,” * and by other 
means whereby the members learn to know the 
problems and therefore to sympathize with fellow 


*Ward teachers are members of the local church organization 
or “ward” who are asked to visit each house in a given area and 
discuss religious or other subjects with the families. 


LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 41 


members as brothers and sisters. When this spirit 
is established people are likely to feel it their duty 
to offer brotherly assistance if it is perceived that 
such assistance will be helpful. The authorities of 
the Church, most of whom receive no compensation 
for their services, set the example by devoting prac- 
tically all of the time not necessary for their regular 
business to giving aid to those who seem to need 
their assistance. 

Opportunity to develop the latent qualities of 
leadership are so numerous in the Church organiza- 
tions that any one with qualifications need not be 
held back for want of work. The Church is divided 
into wards which, on the average, contain slightly 
over 400 members, and in each ward are at least a 
dozen organizations to which those of various capa- 
bilities may belong. Most of these organizations 
require a president, counselors, secretary, treasurer, 
and, as occasion arises, special committees. As these 
offices are filled by those who receive the popular 
vote, they are held by those with the qualities of 
leadership. Advancement in station is likely to 
occur as fast as power to fill higher positions is 
demonstrated. The initiative taken by members of 
the organizations when called upon to do the various 
duties, such as teaching at a class meeting or creating 
a widespread interest in some project that is under- 
taken, is one of the methods for singling out leaders, 
although special qualities in any line of endeavor 
are taken into account. Because the organizations 


42 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


vary in purpose from those which are purely theo- 
logical to organizations like scouting, which are in 
no sense sectarian in their activities, there is an 
opportunity to develop almost any latent talent. 
Many of those who have become prominent in the 
various arts and professions first discovered their 
talents by working in these organizations. Latter- 
day Saint missionaries, because of the nature of their 
work, gain a type of experience in self-reliance, in 
public speaking, and in dealing with men which fits 
them for leadership in almost any activity. 

As a summary of this chapter, it may be said 
that the Mormons have produced prominent men in 
nearly every line of endeavor. Utah exceeds all 
states, except those in the New England division, in 
proportion of men who have attained distinction as 
indicated by having their names in “Who’s Who in 
America,” and the Mormon part of the population 
has the highest percentage in this record. The lead- 
ership which has been evident in many civic and 
professional activities is developed in the Mormon 
Church, not only by the teachings of the Church, 
but also by the practice in leadership which is 
afforded by the many auxiliary organizations which 
are fostered by the Church. 


CE AY By 
THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS 


Tue history of the Mormon Church is largely a 
record of the colonization of new lands. When the 
Church was organized in 1830 in western New York 
that part of the country was essentially an unsettled 
frontier. Shortly afterward the body of the Church 
moved to Ohio, then to Missouri, and later to 
Illinois. In each of these places new lands were 
brought under cultivation and thriving communities 
were made to replace unsubdued forest and prairie. 

These people had scarcely built up the City of 
Nauvoo, Illinois, when the persecutions became so 
intense that it was decided to move west into the 
unpromising wilderness where they could serve God 
in their own way unmolested. 

This exodus is described by Bancroft the historian 
as follows:? 


“There is no parallel in the world’s history in this 
migration from Nauvoo. The exodus from Egypt was 
from a heathen land, a land of idolaters, to a fertile 
region designated by the Lord for His chosen people, 


* History of Utah, pp. 217-18. 
43 


44 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


the land of Canaan. The pilgrim fathers in flying to 
America came from a bigoted and despotic people— 
making few pretentions to civil or religious liberty. It 
was from these same people who had fled from old-world 
persecutions that they might enjoy liberty of conscience 
in the wilds of America, from their descendents and 
associations, that other of their descendents, who claimed 
the right to differ from them in opinion and practice, 
were now fleeing.” 


The country to which they went was one inhabited 
by roving tribes of Indians; it was so desolate and 
forbidding that Daniel Webster had declared it unfit 
for any use except for wild animals. 

The situation they met was described as follows 
by Captain Howard Stansbury, who made extensive 
explorations of the Great Basin for the United States 
Government about four years after the Mormon 
ploneers arrived at their destination :? 


“One of the most unpleasant characteristics of the 
whole country . . . is the entire absence of trees from 
the landscape. The weary traveller plods along, day 
after day, and week after week, his eye resting upon 
naught but interminable plains, bald and naked hills, or 
bold and rugged mountains; the shady grove, the bab- 
bling brook, the dense and solemn forest, are things 
unknown here; and should he by chance light upon 
some solitary cottonwood, or pitch his tent among some 
stunted willows, the opportunity is hailed with joy, as 
that of unusual good fortune.” 


* Explorations and Survey of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake 
(1852), p. 129, 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS = 45 


Stansbury described the conditions he found a few 
years after the Mormons had entered this wilderness 
as follows: 


“Nothing can exceed the appearance of prosperity, 
peaceful harmony, and cheerful contentment that per- 
vade the whole community. Ever since the first year 
of privations, provisions have been abundant, and want 
of the necessities and even comforts of life is a thing 
unknown. A design was at one time entertained (more, 
I believe, as a prospective measure than anything else) 
to set apart a fund for the purpose of erecting a poor- 
house; but after strict inquiry, it was found that there 
were in the whole population but two persons who could 
be considered as objects of public charity, and the plan 
was in consequence abandoned. 

“This happy state of universally diffused prosperity, 
is commented on by themselves, as an evidence of the 
smiles of Heaven and of the special favor of the Deity; 
but I think it may be most clearly accounted for in the 
admirable discipline and ready obedience of a large body 
of industrious and intelligent men, and the wise councils 
of prudent and sagacious leaders, producing a oneness 
and concentration of action, the result of which has 
astonished even those by whom it has been effected. 
The happy consequences of this system of united and 
well-directed action, under one leading and controlling 
mind, is most prominently apparent in the erection of 
public buildings, opening of roads, the construction of 
bridges, and the preparation of the country for the speedy 
occupation of a large and rapidly growing population, 
shortly to be still further augmented by an immigration, 
even now on their way, from almost every country in 
Kurope. 


*Ibid., p. 133. 


46 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


“Upon the personal character of the leader of this 
singular people, it may not, perhaps, be proper for me 
to comment in a communication like the present. I may 
nevertheless be pardoned for saying, that, to me, Presi- 
dent Young appeared to be a man of clear, sound sense, 
fully alive to the responsibilities of the station he oc- 
cupiles, sincerely devoted to the good name and interests 
of the people over which he presides, sensitively jealous 
of the least attempt to undervalue or misrepresent them, 
and indefatigable in devising ways and means for their 
moral, mental and physical elevation. He appeared to 
possess the unlimited personal and official confidence of 
his people; while both he and his two counselors, forming 
the presidency of the church, seemed to have but one 
object in view—the prosperity and peace of the society 
over which they presided.” 


Continuing, he says: 


“When it is remembered that within the space of four 
years this country was but a wild and dreary wilderness, 
where the howl of the wolf and the yell of the miserable 
Indian alone awoke the echoes of the mountains, and 
where the bear, the deer, and the antelope roamed se- 
curely over what is now a compact and populous city; 
that the physical obstacles to the occupation of a region 
so unpromising were sufficient to discourage the most 
Sanguine imagination and to appal the stoutest, heart,— 
the mind is filled with wonder at witnessing the im- 
mense results which have been accomplished in so short 
a time, and from a beginning apparently so insignifi- 
cant... 

“A residence of a year in the midst of the Mormon 
community, during the greater part of which period I 


* Ibid., p. 144. 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS 47 


was in constant intercourse with both rulers and people, 
afforded much opportunity for ascertaining the real 
facts of the case.” 


Professor Richard T. Ely, the noted economist, 
discusses the success of the Mormons as colonizers 
and the reasons for this success as follows: ® 


“Anything drearier than the scene which must have 
greeted them when they reached the valleys among the 
mountains of Utah can scarcely be imagined. It was 
apparently a desert waste, covered with sage-brushes. 
They were obliged to depend upon themselves, but that 
they had the social cement of their religion binding them 
together and bringing about submission to the leadership, 
explain the wonderful achievements of the Mormons 
in making the desert blossom like the rose, and bringing 
modest and frugal comfort to their large following. We 
have a marvelous combination of physiographic condi- 
tions and social organization in the development of Utah 
under the guidance of Mormonism. The agriculture 
pursued was irrigation agriculture, which for its success is 
dependent upon a compact: society, well knit together. 
Individualism was out of the question under these con- 
ditions, and in Mormonism we find precisely the cohesive 
strength. of religion needed at that junction to secure 
economic success. 

“Agriculture was made the foundation of the economic 
life, and consciously so. Brigham Young discouraged 
mining and adventurous pursuits, because he had a 
theory of socio-economic development in accordance 
with which agriculture should come first, manufactur- 
ing second, and mining later. It was essential that 
food should be produced first of all, and also there was 


* Harper's Magazine, v. 106 (1903), pp. 667-678. 


48 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


a desire that settled habits should be acquired. Another 
peculiarity of the situation, namely, that the land could 
be made to yield a harvest only by means of irrigation, 
has just been mentioned, and the Mormons thus became 
the pioneers of modern irrigation in the United States, 
the second great step being taken when Greeley, Colo- 
rado, was established. We find in these conditions many 
peculiarities differentiating Utah from the other arid 
states, and, indeed from the country as a whole, although 
in the influence of religion there is a suggestion of many 
older movements of colonization. Agriculture was in 
Utah, and is still, the chief industry, whereas in the other 
Western States it has frequently been subordinated to 
mining. 

“The Mormons had already practised codperation in 
their former settlements in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, 
and it was manifest to them that they must act together 
in their new home among the mountains. The dangers 
from the Indians as well as the dangers from the ele- 
ments, and their pressing needs, brought them into close 
economic relationship. Their idea was first to establish 
centers of population in villages and cities, and to go 
out from the cities to cultivate the land. Salt Lake 
City, the pioneer settlement, has been typical, although, 
in minor details, there have been some variations in 
other settlements. Salt Lake City was divided into ten- 
acre blocks, and each block was divided into eight lots, 
so that within the city itself each owner should have 
an acre and a quarter to cultivate, and in the early days, 
the cultivation of the home garden was a very important 
item in the maintenance of the family. First of all, in 
the settlement the central plot was reserved for common 
purposes. A fort was constructed, and within the fort 
the houses were built, the houses themselves constituting 
the walls of the fort. From this central reservation, the 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS 49 


settlement extended outwards very quickly, as settlers 
increased, and dangers from the Indians disappeared. 
It was necessary at once to construct highways and build 
ditches, in order by these means to reach the timber 
in the mountains and to turn water on the land. 

“The codperation in these works was frequently, and 
perhaps generally, informal, and it was always under the 
direct influence of the Church, through which came what 
has been termed the ‘cohesive strength of religion.’ 
Inasmuch as, according to the Mormons, all life is held 
to be sacred, and work under the guidance of the Church 
a religious act, it is not strange that, when it seemed to 
be the most pressing thing, any of the leaders should in 
their religious gatherings speak about irrigation or bridge- 
building. Brigham Young, acting always under the guid- 
ance of the Lord, as he claimed, directed in detail works 
calculated to convey a common benefit. On Sunday, 
preaching in any settlement such as Provo, for example, 
he might say, ‘Tomorrow I want one hundred men and 
fifty teams to meet and work on the irrigating ditch.’ 
Or the forces might be rallied for the construction of a 
road into a canyon of the mountains. Generally, but 
not always, an account was kept of the work of each one, 
and if it was for an irrigating-ditch he was given a 
corresponding interest in the ditch. But the water was 
connected with the land, the ditches were owned by the 
farmers. They were codperative undertakings which 
were part and parcel of agriculture. Even to this day, 
the Mormons look with little favor upon speculative irri- 
gating enterprises. In one important case, when a large 
ditch was constructed by capitalists, the farmers in the 
surrounding country simply starved the capitalists out by 
refusing to make any use of the water, and then they 
bought out the bankrupt enterprise at a low price. Water 
was by the early customs and laws of Deseret, as their 


50 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


State was first called, and then later by the Territory of 
Utah, held to be public property; and Professor Mead, 
in his work on irrigation, holds up the early practices of 
the Mormons as a model, from which they have departed 
in subsequent times only to their own disadvantage.” 


Another place in this same article Professor Ely 
attributes the accomplishments of this people to 
the willingness of the individuals to sacrifice, and to 
the perfect organization which they have. ‘These 
are his statements: 


“We find in Mormonism, to a larger degree than I 
have ever seen in any other body of people, an illustra- 
tion of the individual who is willing to sacrifice himself 
for the whole, and it is a religious sanction which impels 
him to do so. On the other hand, the interests of the 
future are ever in mind, and to them the present is 
subordinated, the final goal being the millennium, and 
the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord in Jackson 
County, Missouri; for it is there that the great restoration 
is to take place. 

“So far as I can judge from what I have seen, the 
organization of the Mormons is the most nearly perfect 
piece of social mechanism which I have ever in anyway 
come in contact, excepting alone the German Army. 
The Mormons, indeed, speak of their whole social organi- 
zation as an army, the reserve being those at home, and 
the fighting force being the missionaries in the field. 
We have faith, authority, obedience, operating through 
this marvelous social mechanism, and touching life at all 
points, inasmuch as the Mormon creed recognizes no 
interest as external to the Church, and regards Church 
and state as actually one.” 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS 51 

The teachings of the Church all tended to promote 

cooperation. This is illustrated by the following 

epistle issued by the apostles at Winter Quarters, 

December 23, 1846, as their followers wended their 
way westward: 


“It is the duty of the rich saints everywhere, to assist 
the poor, according to their ability to gather; and if 
choose, with a covenant and promise that the poor thus 
helped shall pay as soon as they are able. It is also the 
duty of the rich, those who have the intelligence and the 
means, to come home forthwith and establish factories, 
and all kinds of machinery, that will tend to give em- 
ployment to the poor, and produce those articles which 
are necessary for the comfort, convenience, health and 
happiness of the people; and no one need to be at a loss 
concerning his duty in these matters, if he will walk so 
humbly before God as to keep the small still whisperings 
of the Holy Ghost within continually.” 


Another observer of the Mormon system of colo- 
nization, Charles Ellis,* has this to say: 


“Christianity has given martyrs to its cause—so has 
Mormonism, and Mormonism has given help, home and 
happiness to many thousands of Christians who would 
have known neither without its helping hand. Very early 
in the career of the Mormon Church the principle of 
cooperation was set up as the line along which the 
Church should work for the ‘Brotherhood of man,’ and 
while it has never been realized as anticipated, several 
attempts have been made that have been at least, par- 
tially successful, even against bitter opposition by gov- 
ernment officials and anti-Mormons in general. . 


° Christian and Mormon Doctrines, pp. 32-35. 


52 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


Owing to the many adversities against which the Church 
and people have had to struggle, the principle of co- 
operation may be said to be yet largely latent, but it ig 
deep rooted in the minds of the people that the time is 
sure to come when codperation will exist wherever it can 
be made practicable among the Mormons. . . . Below 
it is the theological belief that this world, practically 
as it is now, is to be the home of the people who lived 
upon it in mortal life, through that endless life upon 
which they will enter ‘in the resurrection,’ and codpera- 
tion will then be the rule. . . . Brigham Young, all 
admit, was a wonderful colonizer. Yet his work was all 
done to carry out this idea of an eternal life on this 
very world. His policy has been followed. The Mormon 
leaders have bought land for the Church in most of 
these mountain states and territories, as well as in 
Mexico and Canada. Why? Because they, for their 
people, could buy vastly more advantageously than the 
individuals could. But that land the Church sells on easy 
terms to its immigrants, and so welcomes them by co- 
operation and brotherhood. 

“Whether Mormonism is right or wrong, its this-world- 
religion of codperation and brotherhood-of-man seems 
to have been and to continue to be good for the Mormon 
people——and why should we not all admit the fact? 
Mormonism is a practical every-day religion of this 
life and this world looking upon the advancement of 
its people here as the best preparation for that eternal 
life they expect to live on this same world ‘in the resur- 
rection.’ All peoples have equal right to form and hold 
their opinions as to the meaning and purpose of this 
life and that which is to come, and, therefore, it strikes 
me that among religious sects Mormonism has achieved 
sufficient success to give it a pull strong enough to with- 
stand all ministerial and political misrepresentation and 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS 53 


abuse. If I were a Mormon I should not be uneasy as 
to the result.” 


When the Mormon pioneers first reached Salt 
Lake Valley there was the natural tendency to settle 
down all together in one community where the 
advantages of a large population could be obtained, 
but it soon became evident that the only way to 
settle up the country was to have groups of families 
go out into the surrounding country and build it up. 
Consequently scouts were sent out to explore all of 
the surrounding territory, and very soon different 
families volunteered to go to the various districts. 
These people did not allow their personal prefer- 
ences to count; they were willing to go anywhere 
that seemed best to the authorities, because they 
knew that the authorities had the welfare of every 
person in mind when they asked them to do 
anything. 

It was in this spirit that Mormon communities 
were built up through all parts of Utah and the 
surrounding states and even in Mexico and Canada. 
This method of reaching out and making new settle- 
ments is thus described by Bancroft:7 

“Instead of merely adding suburb to suburb, all cluster- 
ing around the parent center, as might have been done 
by other communities, the Church dignitaries, while yet 
Salt Lake City was but a village, ordered parties of the 
brethren, some of them still barely rested from their 
toilsome journey across the plains, to start afresh for 


* History of Utah, pp. 319-320. 


o4 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


remote and unprotected portions of a then unknown 
country. As new locations were needed, exploring parties 
were sent forth, and when a site was selected, a small 
company, usually of volunteers, was placed in charge of 
an elder and ordered to make ready the proposed settle- 
ment. Care was taken that the various crafts should be 
represented in due proportion, and that the expedition 
should be well supplied with provisions, implements, and 
live-stock. . . . Thus equipped and selected, the settlers, 
with their marvelous energy and thrift, made more prog- 
ress and suffered less privation in reclaiming the waste 
lands of their wilderness than did the Spaniards in the 
garden spots of Mexico and Central America, or the 
English in the most favored regions near the Atlantic 
seaboard.” 


The number of communities built up under the 
Mormon system of colonization was given by Webb 
in 1916 as follows: 


“There are at the present time 615 cities, towns, vil- 
lages, and neighborhoods (or 706 regularly organized 
wards) in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which 
have been founded and built up principally by the fru- 
gality, industry and unison of the Mormon people, di- 
rected by the authorities of the Church. Of these settle- 
ments 333 are situated in Utah, 166 in Idaho, 31 in Ari- 
zona, 6 in Colorado, 10 in Nevada, 27 in Wyoming, 7 in 
Oregon, 5 in New Mexico, 22 in Alberta, Canada, and 
8 in Old Mexico.” 


These settlements, or colonies, were practically 
always successful. It is doubtful if in all the history 
of the colonization there was ever such a high per- 

®*The Real Mormonism, p. 135. 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS — 55 


centage of successes as among the Mormon pioneers 
of the West. The utter unselfishness with which 
they went into the thing; their industry, frugality, 
and sobriety; and their wise leadership were all fac- 
tors in this success. The absence of any one of these 
would have resulted in disaster. 

When one considers how the settlers struggled 
against drought and alkali on the one hand and with 
canal-destroying floods and lack of transportation 
on the other, one is led to marvel at what was 
accomplished. No one who has any knowledge of 
the real facts can fail to be profoundly impressed 
that here is a people that possesses the fundamental 
qualities of real colonizers. Certainly they fill many 
of the requirements outlined by Professor Carver in 
his excellent book, ‘“The Religion Worth Having.” 

To quote from him:® 

“That is the best religion which (1) acts most power- 
fully as a spur to energy, and (2) directs that energy 
most productively. That is the most productive expendi- 
ture of energy which supports the most life and supports 
it most abundantly, which gives the largest control over 
the forces of nature and the most complete dominion 
over the world, and which enables men to control what- 
ever environment happens to surround them and to live 
comfortably in it.” 


Again on page 23: 


“The religion which stimulates to high endeavor and 
develops the latent energy of its people, and directs that 


pat RR 


56 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


energy wisely and productively, will succeed because the 
people who are fortunate enough to possess it will suc- 
ceed and hold dominion over the world.” 


Continuing on page 40, 

“One of the greatest lessons of history is that the 
peoples who have succumbed to the insidious appeal to 
self-indulgence have grown weak and have lost ground 
as compared with the more virile and rugged peoples who 
have retained a simpler and sturdier view of life.” 


He discusses the church that succeeds best in the 
following terms:?° 


“The church that can say to the unchurched, ‘Our way 
is best because it works best. Our people are efficient, 
prosperous, and happy because we are a body who aid 
one another in the productive life. We waste none of our 
substance in vice, luxury, or ostentation. We do not 
dissipate our energy in brawling, gambling, or unwhole- 
some habits. We conserve our resources of body and 
mind and devote them to the upbuilding of the Kingdom 
of God, which is not a mystical but a real kingdom. It 
is a body of people dominated by ideals of productivity, 
which is mutual service. We do not strive for the things 
which satisfy but for a moment and then leave a bad 
taste, we strive for the things which build us up and 
- enable us and our children to be strong, to flourish, and 
to conquer. We strive to make ourselves worthy to re- 
ceive the world by fitting ourselves to use the world more 
productively than others. We believe that obedience to 
God means obedience to the laws of nature, which are 
but the uniform manifestations of His will; and we try 
by painstaking study to acquire the most complete and 
exact knowledge of that will, in order that we may con- 

® Pp, 108-9. 


THE MORMONS AS COLONIZERS _ 57 


form ourselves to it. We believe that reverence for 
God is respect for these laws, that meekness is teachable- 
ness and willingness to learn by observation and experi- 
ence. By practicing this kind of meekness, or teachable- 
ness, we believe that we shall inherit the earth; whereas, 
the unmeek, the unteachable, the pigheaded, who are 
dominated by pride of tradition, shall not. We offer 
you hard work, frugal fare, severe discipline, but a share 
in the conquest of the world for the religion of the 
productive life.” 


The Mormon Church as an organization has con- 
tributed largely of its means to assist new settlers 
in establishing enterprises for which the individuals 
did not have sufficient capital. This applied par- 
ticularly to the construction of irrigation canals and 
other similar efforts. The pioneer settlers had their 
teams and could do a large amount of work but did 
not have means with which to buy powder for blast- 
ing and other necessities that required cash. This 
need was frequently supplied by the Church and as 
a result projects that could not have succeeded 
under any other arrangement became highly suc- 
cessful and farms were developed in the midst of the 
desert. Manufacturing and other activities to pro- 
mote home industry have always been encouraged 
by the Church and as a result its communities have 
been largely self-sustaining. 

These are some of the elements that have con- 
tributed to the success of the Mormons as colonizers 
when others, who have been interested only in the 
speculative side of the project, have failed. 


Repel raat bed Shel Se 
ATTITUDE OF THE MORMONS TOWARDS GOVERNMENT 


THE present generation has seen tremendous up- 
heavals in many of the governments of the world. 
Successful revolutions have been overthrown by 
counter revolutions until the political complexion of 
the world has been drastically changed. These 
upheavals have led some people to doubt the value 
of governments, and they have advocated a complete 
change in the entire political and social order. 

It is true that great changes have been wrought, 
many of them for good and many for ill, but no 
thinking person can doubt the value of some form 
of government as a means of safeguarding human 
rights. The purpose of governments is to give all 
of us a chance to live happy lives. They ward off 
enemies who would swoop down upon our homes, 
murdering our loved ones and carrying away the 
products of our toil; they give us recourse from the 
impositions of powerful combinations of men who 
would, by insidious methods deprive us of the full 
benefit of our industry; and they develop or con- 
serve the resources in their domain as seems wise, 

58 


ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT = 59 


so that we can enjoy those gifts of nature which God 
meant for all. Where organizations come in conflict 
with fair governments, they are a menace to the 
people and deserve the early oblivion which usually 
comes to them. 

In making a study of any church it is therefore 
wise to inquire into its attitude toward the institu- 
tion of government. In our study of Mormonism 
we must apply this test. 

From published statements concerning civil gov- 
ernments, it appears that the Mormons have very 
definite convictions on the subject. One of the 
thirteen Articles of Faith of the Church says: “We 
believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, 
and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining 
the law.” The Church holds that obedience is not 
only one of the first principles of Heaven, but that 
it is also ohe of the most necessary principles of 
earthly well being. This belief includes obedience 
to God’s will, to civil governments, to rules of 

-society, and to all who hold authoritative positions 
of any type. A rather full statement of the beliefs 
of the Latter-day Saints regarding laws was formu- 
lated in 1835 and is given in Section 1384 of their 
Doctrine and Covenants as follows: 


“1. We believe that governments were instituted of 
God for the benefit of man; and that He holds men ac- 
countable for their acts in relation to them, both in mak- 
ing laws and administering them, for the good and 
safety of society. 


60 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


“2. We believe that no government can exist in peace, 
except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will 
secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, 
the right and control of property, and the protection of 
life. 

“3. We believe that all governments necessarily re- 
quire civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws 
of the same; and that such as will administer the law in 
equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the 
voice of the people of a republic, or the will of the 
sovereign. 

“4. We believe that religion is instituted of God; and 
that men are amenable to Him, and to Him only, for the 
exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them 
to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but 
we do not believe that human law has a right to inter- 
fere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the con- 
sciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private 
devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, 
but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but 
never suppress the freedom of the soul. 

“5. We believe that all men are bound to sustain and 
uphold the respective governments in which they reside, 
while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights 
by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and 
rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, 
and should be punished accordingly; and that all govern- 
ments have a right to enact such laws as in their own 
judgments are best calculated to secure the public in- 
terest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the 
freedom of conscience. 

“6. We believe that every man should be honored in 
his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed 
for the protection of the innocent and the punishment 
of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect 


ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT 61 


and deference, as without them peace and harmony 
would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws 
being instituted for the express purpose of regulating 
our interests as individuals and nations, between man 
and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing 
rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to 
be answered by man to his Maker. 

“7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments 
have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the pro- 
tection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious 
belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in 
justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe 
them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence 
are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not 
justify sedition nor conspiracy. 

“8. We believe that the commission of crime should 
be punished according to the nature of the offense; that 
murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the 
general peace, in all respects, should be punished ac- 
cording to their criminality and their tendency to evil 
among men, by the laws of that government in which the 
offense is committed; and for the public peace and tran- 
quillity all men should step forward and use their ability 
in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment. 

“9. We do not believe it just to mingle religious in- 
fluence with civil government, whereby one religious 
society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual 
privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as 
citizens, denied. 

“10. We believe that all religious societies have a right 
to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, ac- 
cording to the rules and regulations of such societies; 
provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good 
standing; but we do not believe that any religious society 
has authority to try men on the right of property or life, 


62 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


to take from them this world’s goods, or to put them 
in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any 
physical punishment upon them. They can only excom- 
municate them from their society, and withdraw from 
them their fellowship. 

“11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law 
for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal 
abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character 
infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; 
but we believe that all men are justified in defending 
themselves, their friends, and property, and the govern- 
ment, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of 
all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal 
cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded. 

“12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the 
nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save 
themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do 
not believe it right to interfere with bond servants, 
neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them contrary 
to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle 
with or influence them in the least to cause them to be 
dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby 
jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we be- 
lieve to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the 
peace of every government allowing human beings to be 
held in servitude.” 


That the above doctrines are accepted as guiding 
principles by the Latter-day Saints in their attitude 
toward governments is strongly indicated by their 
excellent record with regard to criminal indictments 
as discussed in another chapter, in their loyal atti- 
tude toward the U. S. Government in time of war 
given in another section, and in their more than 


ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT 63 


ordinary efforts to influence laws for the benefit of 
society by a full exercise of their voting rights. In a 
few cases the Mormons have objected to certain laws 
which seemed to have been made especially to 
thwart their happiness, but in such cases after the 
laws were tested in the highest tribunals of the land 
and found constitutional they willingly submitted 
to them. In several instances the laws instituted 
especially for the purpose of bringing extra hardship 
upon the Mormons were repealed by the supreme 
courts; A. B. Carlton in his “Wonderlands of the 
Wild West’’+ cites three such cases. Judge Kinney, 
who served on the Supreme Court bench for ten 
years following 1853, said on resigning: “I am happy 
in being able to state that I found no difficulty in 
Utah in administering the law, except where its 
administration has been thwarted by Executive 
interference. . . . I repeat, gentlemen, that the law 
is, and can be maintained in this Territory, and that 
there is more vigilance here in arresting and bringing 
criminals to trial and punishment than in any 
country where I have ever resided.” 2 Statements 
to the same effect have been made by various other 
observers who have made impartial studies of the 
Mormons. ) 

In brief, it may be stated that the Mormons as a 
people strive to sustain the laws of whatever gov- 
ernment they are living under. Their belief that 


BE DiOol=a0u: 
* Hist. of Utah, Whitney, v. 2, pp. 102-3. 


64 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


“he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to 
break the laws of the land,’ ? is probably a vital 
influence in maintaining their excellent records for 
good citizenship. 

* Doc. and Cov. 58: 21. 


CHAPTER 7 
PATRIOTISM OF THE MORMONS 


THE success of the republican form of government 
is dependent on the patriotism of its citizens. If 
they do not have a comprehensive idea of what is 
best for the country, and if they do not place the in- 
terest of the country above party, class, or sectional 
and selfish interest, the government is doomed to 
anarchy and ruin. This interest of the country in- 
cludes, of course, a willingness on the part of the 
citizens to give their services and to sacrifice their 
own interests where the welfare of the country is 
threatened. Good citizenship means a high degree 
of patriotism. If the above idea of patriotism is ac- 
cepted, a tangible expression of it might be found in 
any one of a number of activities. It might be ex- 
pressed negatively in lawlessness, or in lack of re- 
gard for the rights of others, or it might be manifest 
in many acts which are known to be detrimental to 
the welfare of the country. 

In this study of patriotism among the Latter-day 
Saints, an investigation will be made of the avail- 
able data which will show the manner in which the 


people responded to the call of the nation in times of 
65 


66 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


war, when the interest of the whole country is, or 
should be centered on a single purpose. 

The attitude the Mormons take toward war in 
general was expressed by Joseph F. Smith, a former 
President, in 1914, as follows: 1 “ ‘Peace on earth, 
and good will to men is our slogan. That is our prin- 
ciple. That is the principle of the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ. And while I think it is wrong, wickedly 
wrong, to force war upon any nation, or upon any 
people, I believe it is righteous and just for every 
people to defend their own lives and their own liber- 
ties, and their own homes, with the last drop of their 
blood. I believe it is right, and I believe that the 
Lord will sustain any people in defending their own 
liberty to worship according to the dictates of their 
conscience, and people trying to preserve their 
wives and their children from the ravages of war.” 
This general idea is incorporated in the Mormon 
doctrines.’ 

The “peace on earth, and good will to men” atti- 
tude of the Mormons was well illustrated in their 
treatment of the Indians in early days. Instead of 
antagonizing and fighting them, as was done in many 
pioneering colonies of America, they were befriended 
and, whenever this was feasible, fed almost the same 
as unfortunate members of the colony. 

Unfortunately there is no information in sufficient 
detail to show the patriotism of the Mormon people 


* Relief Soo. Mg., v. 2 (1914), No. 1, p. 13. 
2 Doc. and Cov. 98: 34-87. 


PATRIOTISM OF THE MORMONS _ 67 


separate from others, even in Utah, and as will be 
noted in the studies of criminals, insane, divorces, 
etc., the Mormons are distinctive in their reactions. 
Since the Mormons compose about 62 per cent of 
the total population of Utah, or 92 per cent of all 
expressing their religious inclination, a study of the 
records of the State as a whole will show any 
unusual tendency of the Mormons. 

During the World War the first call made by the 
U. S. Government was for volunteers and the re- 
sponse to this call may be taken to indicate the 
voluntary willingness with which the men chose to 
stand up for the rights of our nation. The second 
report of the Provost Marshal General to the Secre- 
tary of War® shows that Utah was one of the 12 
states which had more than furnished their net 
quotas before December 31, 1917. Utah had over- 
subscribed a larger proportion than any State except 
Maine and Idaho. 

Of the gross quotas the average percentage of 
enlistments for the whole United States was 40.4 
while that for Utah was 51.9 per cent. There were 
13 states with a higher percentage of enlistments 
to the gross quota. Utah was one of the 15 states 
which furnished more enlistments than the net 
quotas called for. 

At the end of the second registration period in 
1918, the average percentage of enlistments in the 
army to the total increment was 21.75 for the whole 

*See Statistical Abstract of the U. S., 1918, p. 743. 


68 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


United States and 27.47 for Utah; only 7 states in 
the Union showed a better percentage than Utah.* 
Utah held fifteenth place in percentage of enlist- 
ments to the Navy at that time. In the Marine 
Corps during the whole War Utah furnished more 
volunteers in proportion to her population than did 
any other state. 

As the War ended before many of the Utah troops 
were on the fighting lines, little can be said about 
the actual fighting, but those who were engaged in 
the Ninety-first Division, which saved the day for 
the allied forces at the Argonne Forest, were highly 
commended for their valor. 

The various money drives made by the Govern- 
ment were very important to the welfare of the 
nation during the War. In the Liberty and Victory 
Loan drives, Utah oversubscribed in every case, the 
quota of $61,275,000 for all drives being exceeded by 
$11,275,000 or over 18 per cent. The Mormon 
Church as a body had subscribed $500,000 for Lib- 
erty Bonds by 1918, and throughout every campaign 
the Mormon officials urged the members to loan and 
give freely whenever the Government asked. The 
Red Cross drives were oversubscribed for in Utah by 
about one-third. The only failure made in these 
money campaigns was for War Savings Stamps, and 
in this regard Utah furnished a per capita amount 
exceeded in only 16 of the 52 states and cities.® 


* Tbid., p. 737. 
°Tbid., p. 636. Cal. and Penn. divided into two parts; District 
of Columbia and New York City considered separately. 


PATRIOTISM OF THE MORMONS _ 69 


Conservation of foodstuffs and activity of all who 
were not called to the colors was of vital importance. 
After Carl Vrooman of the U. S. Food Administra- 
tion, who had come to Utah to organize the work, 
saw conditions in Utah, he said: “You were already 
prepared and at work before the word came for us 
to begin. I came to advise but now I can only 
praise. I have seen so far in my travels nothing 
like the work Utah is doing in conservation, and I 
shall carry the story of it to other states.”® The 
Honorable W. W. Armstrong, of the U. S. Food 
Commission, said: ®° “For me to undertake the re- 
organization of the conservation forces in the State 
at this time would be like trying to ‘paint a lily.’ 
The forces now organized are doubtless working 
more effectively than similar committees will be able 
to work in any State in the Union; and, while not a 
Mormon myself, I can not refrain from paying the 
Mormon Church and the Mormon people the com- 
pliment that they are now, through the professional 
and practical energetic local defense committees, 
providing the government with a model of efficiency 
in organization of food conservation; and I only 
wish every State in the Union had the nucleus of 
such organization.” The various Mormon Church 
organizations took up patriotic work according to 
the nature of the organization. The 45,000 women 
belonging to the Relief Society were among the first 
in the Nation to sign the Hoover Pledge Cards; they 


*From Utah’s Loyalty and War Record. 


70 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


delivered to the Government 100,000 bushels of 
wheat which had been kept as a reserve according to 
former plans; they raised crops; they preserved 
foods; and they subscribed heavily to war funds 
both as a body and as individuals. Similarly the 
Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association, 
the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association, 
and the Primary Associations, all took active parts. 

Besides the World War the Mormons have had 
opportunity to show their loyalty to the Nation in 
the Spanish War, the Civil War, and the War with 
Mexico. In the Spanish War, Utah furnished two 
volunteer troops where but one was called for. 
Their terms of enlistment expired while they were 
still fighting insurgents in the Philippines; but they 
fought on until they were no longer needed. 

In the Civil War, although the Mormons continu- 
ously vouched their loyalty to the Government, they 
were not asked to contribute to the fighting forces, 
but readily assented to the request to furnish armed 
men to help protect the western country from 
Indians and other lawless parties, so that the whole 
strength of the United States Army could be held 
for active field service. 

The so-called Mexican War occurred in 1846 
shortly after the Mormons had been expelled by 
mobs from Illinois, and while they were on their 
way to the Rocky Mountains. Although the whole 
group of Mormon men were needed in this exodus 
to the Rocky Mountains, when the Government 


PATRIOTISM OF THE MORMONS- 71 


called for 500 men, this number was almost immedi- 
ately dispatched across what is now the South- 
western States to California. 

Impartial observers who have been among or near 
the Mormons during critical periods of the Nation’s 
history have given no positive evidence that the 
Mormons were other than loyal, whereas there are 
many who have gained an intimate view of the 
Mormons who classify them with our most loyal 
citizens. Senator Thomas of Colorado, in speaking 
of the Mormons in the Senate in 1919, says: 7 
“During the (World) War resistance to the draft 
occasionally punctured our dispatches and the ex- 
pression of toleration or friendliness to the enemy 
was one of the commonest of occurrences. But 
during that critical period upon no occasion which 
I can remember did the people of Utah, Mormon 
and Gentile, fail to whole-heartedly, loyally, and 
enthusiastically respond to every call made by the 
Government for soldiers or for money. Not in a 
single instance did this people falter. Their splen- 
did youth were given up freely to our armies, and 
the blood of their boys sanctifies the soil of every 
battlefield in France. 

“Every loan drive was responded to, not by the 
quota, but far beyond it, and in everything that con- 
tributed to good citizenship, to patriotism, to loy- 
alty, and to love of country, these people were ever 
conspicuous; and it is due to them, as one of the 

*Cong. Rec., Nov. 11, 1919. 


72 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


representatives from a neighboring state wherein 
many of these people are located, and are among 
our best citizens, that I do so.” 

Writing at an earlier period Bancroft ® says: “It 
is not true that the Mormons are not good citizens, 
law abiding and patriotic. Even when hunted down 
and robbed and butchered by the enemies of their 
faith, they have not retaliated. (On this point they 
are naturally very sore.) When deprived of those 
sacred rights given to them in common with all 
American citizens, when disenfranchised, their 
homes broken up, their families scattered, the hus- 
band and father seized, fined, and imprisoned, they 
have not defended themselves by violence, but have 
left their cause to God and their country. Such 
treatment did not estrange them from their country. 
Out among the wilds of the Rocky Mountains in 
1849 they did not try to set up an independent gov- 
ernment as a disloyal people might have done. In 
incorporating Salt Lake City in that year the ordi- 
nance reads: ‘The mayor, alderman and councilors 
before entering upon their duties, shall take and 
subscribe an oath or affirmation that they will 
support the Constitution of the United States.” 

From the above discussion it is seen that the 
Mormons have willingly come to the aid of their 
country and sacrificed their lives for its welfare in 
every national crisis. They have liberally supported 
the Government by furnishing funds for war activi- 

* History of Utah, pp. 390-92. 


PATRIOTISM OF THE MORMONS 73 


ties, and by conserving foodstuffs. The machinery 
of government has not been willfuly clogged by an 
undue number of Mormon adherents. If we accept 
the statement of former President Woodrow Wilson 
that “The real test of a community is not what it 
does under compulsion of law, but what it does of 
its own volition,” ® then the Mormons must be 
adjudged patriotic because when they reached Utah, 
hardly before it became property of the United 
States, they raised the Stars and Stripes over the 
land and proclaimed their allegiance to our country. 


°Wit and Wisdom of Woodrow Wilson. 


CHAPTER 8 
CHARITY WORK AMONG THE MORMONS 


Tue foremost sociologists of today are in agree- 
ment with the teachings of Christ that the essen- 
tials to human progress are the strengthening of the 
weak, the enriching of the impoverished, and the 
redeeming of the low in society. It is obvious that 
neither spiritual nor temporal progress can be fully 
attained when a portion of the people is suffering 
from lack of the necessities of life. One of the big 
problems of the world today is to make a distribu- 
tion of charity to those who are deserving without 
including those who wish to be helped merely 
because they are not willing to put forth an effort 
to earn a living. Charity may be a great boon to 
society, but if unwisely given it may do untold harm. 

The spirit of helpfulness among the Latter-day 
Saints is very strong. Phil Robinson, a writer who 
made a thorough study of the Mormons several 
decades ago, said: ! “Charity, unquestioning, sim- 
ple-hearted, charity, is one of the secrets of the 
strength of this wonderful fabric of Mormonism. 
The Mormons are, more nearly than any other com- 


* Sinners and Saints, p. 195. 
74 


CHARITY WORK 75 


munity in the world on such a scale, one family.” 
The Mormon leaders have always urged their fol- 
lowers to give freely for worthy charitable purposes, 
although they do not express themselves as favoring 
promiscuous giving to everyone who begs alms. 
They encourage the giving to worthy poor through 
the charitable institutions of the Church. 

The organization of the Mormon Church for char- 
itable purposes is perhaps unequaled by any other 
large body of people. Each family in a Mormon 
community is visited monthly by Ward Teachers 
who, among other things, inquire concerning the 
welfare of the people. If any are found in distress, 
this fact is reported to the proper church authorities 
and aid is at once given to worthy cases. 

Instead of giving outright to able-bodied families 
they are ordinarily provided with work if it is ob- 
tainable. The church authorities frequently make 
inquiries throughout the communities concerning 
the labor market, and willing workers are told where 
suitable employment may be secured. This is espe- 
cially advantageous to newcomers who are not 
acquainted with industrial conditions of the new 
environment. During dull times the authorities 
have created work by taking commercial contracts, 
by opening up a new business, or by going forward 
with improvements which would othewise wait till 
later. 

When work cannot be obtained and families are 
likely to suffer, food or money is given outright. 


76 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


Sometimes the recipients, upon “recovering theix 
financial feet” freely return the help given them, 
although no obligation is attached to such charity. 
The closeness with which the members are bound 
together socially makes it comparatively easy for 
the authorities to discover all who are in need; this 
allows them to aid many who are in distress but who 
are too proud to make requests for charity. Not 
infrequently in such cases charity is given by 
neighbors in such a way as to avoid embarrassment. 

Aid is sometimes given through the organizations 
known as priesthood quorums. Where a member is 
ill others may volunteer to take care of his crops or 
otherwise lend their services. Occasionally a quo- 
rum has kept a fellow member from financial ruin 
by timely aid. 

Besides the temporary sort of charity referred to 
above, there are many partially or wholly dependent 
widows, aged married couples, cripples, and others 
who are helped by Mormon charitable organizations. 
Free hospital treatment is given to hundreds of poor 
people not otherwise able to afford such services. 

The women’s Relief Society, organized in 1842, 
was one of the first strong organizations of women in 
America. From the first the members of this society 
have aided those who have needed assistance in their 
communities. This society is not known so much 
for its cold charity as for its motherly spirit. When 
death comes to a family, these women are usually 
among the first to offer sympathy, and while they 


CHARITY WORK 77 


are offering this sympathy, if circumstances seem to 
warrant, they are preparing the body for burial, 
perhaps making the burial clothes and furnishing 
other things needed by the bereft family. Simi- 
larly, in maternity cases the members of this Society 
frequently hold sewing bees in the home of ex- 
pectant mothers who have not been able, because 
of sickness or otherwise, to be fully prepared. Upon 
arriving in the world many a baby has had a rela- 
tively complete outfit and a nurse to take care 
of it until its mother became strong, where it would 
have had neither, except for the aid of the Relief 
Society. 

When some member of the community without 
means of support is confined with a lingering disease 
such as chronic rheumatism, it is not uncommon for 
the Relief Society members to take shifts by the 
bedside of the unfortunate one, sometimes a mem- 
ber being present at all hours of the day and night 
for months at a time. 

Like other charitable organizations, the Relief 
Society distributes special gifts at Thanksgiving and 
Christmas. To meet the expenses of these special 
occasions the members often hold fairs, dances, or 
other entertainments, although much is met from 
the regular donations to the society by the mem- 
bers of the Church. Sometimes the Society mem- 
bers make purchases from their own purses and they 
donate their services entirely without pay. Special 
Relief Society drives are at times made to secure 


78 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


funds, clothing, or foodstuffs to send to sufferers of 
disasters such as those of the San Francisco fire, 
Japanese earthquake, and the suffering people in 
Europe and the Near East following the World 
War. 

The full extent of the charity dispensed by the 
Mormon Relief Society cannot be easily expressed 
in terms which will be adequately conveyed to those 
unacquainted with it because of its unlimited 
variety and the unexpressed values such as its 
motherly sympathy. The society extends its serv- 
ices alike to Gentile and Mormon member of the 
community; many a non-Mormon has gained his 
first warm feeling toward the Mormon church 
because of the charitable acts of these women. 

Besides the more or less direct charity mentioned 
above, there is also the indirect type in which need 
for aid is avoided by making the individuals feel 
more responsible for their own welfare and that of 
their families. They are forcibly reminded of the 
disadvantages of wrong practices, such as intemper- — 
ance, which tend to lower their efficiency. They are 
taught that industry and a struggle for a higher type 
of life are the key notes to success both here and 
hereafter, and any advantage gained here will be 
maintained in the life to come. The advice of the 
authorities, many of whom are experienced business 
men, is frequently given to members who might 
otherwise be victimized by worthless investments. 
Thus it is seen that on every hand guidance is 


CHARITY WORK ao 


offered which is intended to lessen the need for 
direct charity. 

In collecting for charity as well as in dispensing 
it the methods differ somewhat from ordinary ones. 
The largest fund for charitable purposes comes from 
Fast Sunday donations. Once a month the Latter- 
day Saints have what is called Fast Sunday, when 
all members are supposed to fast for one or more 
meals and the value of uneaten meals is given for 
use of the poor. There is nothing compulsory about 
either missing the meals or giving the value of the 
meals to the poor, and in cases where missing meals 
might prove injurious, this practice is not advised. 
The next largest sum comes from the tithing, a vol- 
untary contribution of one-tenth of each person’s 
income which is given for the maintenance of the 
Church. The published report of expenditures for 
1921 gives the proportion of the tithing used for 
charitable purposes as nearly 10 per cent. The third 
source of income for charity is from funds collected 
by the Relief Societies mentioned above. Contribu- 
tions to any of these funds was formerly, and to a 
lesser extent today, in the form of flour, farm 
produce, preserved fruit, clothing or any other thing 
of value that might be used by the needy. Today 
the larger part of the contributions is made in the 
form of cash. 

Despite the fact that the dependent class is pro- 
portionately small in Mormon communities, the 
total expenditure for charitable purposes according 


80 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


to the 1921 report was about $727,000. Some of 
this was for charity in foreign lands. When it is 
remembered that practically none of the contribu- 
tions comes in large sums from wealthy benefactors, 
but from practically all the members in amounts 
somewhat proportionate to their wealth, a contri- 
bution of this size from a group of people no larger 
than the Mormons indicates a liberality for such a 
purpose. 

Besides the above charitable work, the Mormons 
have an enviable position for their contributions to 
national and world relief movements. Utah has 
always ranked high in Red Cross drives. In 1923 
she went well over her quota in the Japanese relief 
movement in spite of the fact that she had just 
finished a drive for relief of local communities which 
had been devastated by floods. And later in the 
same year, when contributions were requested for 
the relief in Europe and the Near East, Utah was 
highly commended for the ease with which she 
furnished her quota. 


CHAPTER 9 
HEALTH OF THE MORMONS 


To speak of health in connection with a religion 
is perhaps unusual. The Latter-day Saints, how- 
ever, claim that because of the Word of Wisdom 
given to them through the founder of the Church, 
and because of their freedom from excesses and im- 
proper living, those who follow their religion are 
unusually healthy and long lived. The Word of 
Wisdom which was received by revelation in 1833 
before modern scientific investigations in nutrition 
had begun, put a ban on wine or other alcoholic 
liquids as beverages; it forbade the use of tobacco; 
it condemned the excessive use of meat; and it 
recommended wheat, vegetables, and fruits as espe- 
cially good for man. This Word of Wisdom formed 
a basis for instruction in everything that would pro- 
mote human health. Excesses of all kinds were for- 
bidden. Growing out of this, instruction in sanita- 
tion, hygiene, and other health-promoting topics 
has gone hand in hand with religious instruction in 
the services of the Latter-day Saints. 

Another belief strong in the minds of the Mor- 
mons is that by faith and prayer the sick may be 

81 


82 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


healed. As arule the people understand and respect 
the laws of sanitation and health, as known by the 
medical world of today, but they believe that heal- 
ing can be done by the “laying on of hands, by the 
gift of the Holy Ghost” today as much as it could 
be done at the time when Christ was on earth. Very 
many of the Latter-day Saints testify that either 
they or some of their close friends or relatives have 
been benefited by the power of prayer. 

In making a study of health such as the present 
one, it would be highly desirable that the extent of 
sickness be considered, but lacking this information, 
we must content ourselves with death rates. The 
latter are given annually in the U. S. Bureau of 
Census “Mortality Statistics for the Registration 
Area,” and are, of course, an indirect measure of 
health. In order to avoid the great irregularities 
which sometimes occur in individual years for a 
given locality only death statistics covering a period 
of more than five years are included in this study. 
Except where otherwise stated, the ten-year period 
of 1911 to 1920 is used throughout. 

For the sake of those not well acquainted with 
death statistics it should be mentioned that indi- 
vidual causes of deaths are more carefully taken in 
some states than in others. Utah is one of the more 
careful ones. In 19201 there were only five states 
that performed a higher per cent of autopsies to 
make sure of the cause of death, and only one state 

* Mortality Statistics, 1920, p. 70. 


HEALTH OF THE MORMONS 83 


which made a higher per cent of tests other than 
autopsy for this purpose. The Census Bureau ques- 
tioned only 1.5 per cent of the causes as given for 
deaths in Utah as compared with 3.7 for all states, 
and Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio were the only ones 
with a smaller proportion questioned than Utah.? 
It is seldom advisable, without first making adjust- 
ments, to make exceedingly close studies of death 
rates of populations differing greatly in occupations, 
proportion of very young, or very old people, or 
other factors which influence to a greater or lesser 
extent the death rate. 

In Figure 1 the ten-year average death rate per 
1000 population is given for states with over five 
years’ record. It is seen that Utah stands third 
from the top with a rate of 11.0. The average for 
all states was 14.0 for all classes, or 13.6 for whites. 
A study of the individual years? shows that while 
Washington had a lower rate than Utah every one 
of the ten years, Minnesota was lower only six of 
the years, and no other state had a better showing 
than Utah, more than three or four of the ten years. 

The Mountain States, of course, have external 
conditions most similar to those of Utah, and other 
things being equal, the death rates should be about 
the same. It will be noted from Figure I that Mon- 
tana has a slightly higher and Colorado a consider- 
ably higher rate than Utah. 


* Ibid., p. 69. 
“U.S. Bureau Census “Mortality Rates,” 1910-1920, pp. 234-258, 


84 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


A more detailed analysis of the rates for the 
Mountain States, together with the average for the 


Deaths per 1,000 


White Total YAN Wek it pecs yr ki Ld ae Vs fs: 

Average of Regis- 

tration Area 13.6 14.0 
Washington 9.8 100 
Minnesota 10.6 10.7 
Utah 11.0 
Wisconsin, 11.4 11.4 
Montana HP 4 11.6 
Kansas (7 yrs.) 11.3 11.6 
Missouri 12.4 13.0 
Colorado 13.0 13.1 
Kentucky p22 13.2 
Michigan 13.3 13.3 
Indiana 13.2 13.4 
Ohio 13.2 13.5 
California 13.8 14.0 
Virginia (8 yrs ) 12:2 14.6 
New Jersey 14.5 14.8 
Pennsylvania 14.9 15.1 
Connecticut 15.2 15.3 
New York 15.2 15.4 
Massachusetts 15.3 15.4 
Vermont 15.9 
Maine 15.9 
Rhode Island 15.7 15.9 
Maryland 14.8 16.5 
New Hampshire 16.8 





FIGURE 1. DEATH RATE PER 1000 GENERAL POPULATION. AVERAGE OF 
THE TEN YEARS, 1911 To 1920. INCLUDES ONLY STATES WITH OVER 
FIVE YEARS RECORD. DATA FROM MORTALITY STATISTICS, U. 8S. BUREAU 
OF CENSUS. 


Registration Area, is shown in Figure 2. Colorado 
resembles Utah more than Montana in occupation 
of the people and most other conditions, except that 
Utah has a larger proportion of children, and a 


DEATH RATES 





eee HEHEHE 
Bee Cee 


NOILVINdOd 0001 Y3d SALVE HLVIG 


1914 1915 


1913 





1912 


1911 


thay 


FIGURE 2. DEATH RATES PER 1000 POPULATION 
COLORADO, AND MONTANA DURING EACH OF THB 10 years, 1911 To 


1920. DATA FROM MORTALITY STATISTICS, U. 8. BUREAU OF CENSUS. 


, TOTAL VU. 8., 


IN UTAH 


85 


86 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


larger proportion of inhabitants born within the 
state. It is seen from the Figure that Utah has been 
distinctly lower in death rate than Colorado every 
year. The difference varied from less than 1 per 
1000 in 1916 to over 5 in 1918. On the other hand, 
Montana’s rate during four of the ten years was 
lower than that of Utah. The differences in the 
nature of the population makes a comparison of this 
state with Utah of less significance than that of 
Colorado. 

The discussion so far brings out the point that 
Utah ranks among the best states in rate of mor- 
tality. Let us now see whether this low mortality 
is traceable to the Mormon portion of the state. A 
study of the counties arranged according to the per- 
centage of Mormons as was done in the study of 
education should prove interesting in this regard. 
However, the fact that, in sparsely settled sections 
where there are no hospitals and medical help is not 
available, the people go to other counties for treat- 
ment, makes such a study less definite than might 
be wished. To eliminate part of this difficulty, 
counties with less than 5000 population are not 
considered in the following discussion, and the re- 
maining counties are put into only two groups so 
that there will be as much balancing of irregularities 
as possible. 

Figure 3 shows the Utah counties grouped into 
those with over 80 per cent Mormons and those with 
a smaller proportion. The average of the upper 


HEALTH OF THE MORMONS 87 


group is seen to be 9.6 deaths per 1000 population, 
whereas that for the lower one is 11.0. This ten- 
dency for the death rate to be less in the counties 
Deaths per 

1,000 
Population ~ 


Average Rural Utah. 10.2 B& 
Average First 


Ten Counties 9.6 
Juab 9.8 
Davis 8.6 
Sanpete 10.2 
Iron 10.4 
Washington 8.9 
Cache 9.7 
Sevier 10.7 
Boxelder 9.2 
Millard 9.0 
Wasatch & Duchesne 9.0 


Average Second 





Nine Counties 11.0 XXX AAA  N1AA101WNW. 
Emery 8.7 pS SiS 8 

Utah 10.8 

Beaver 11.7 

Weber 8.9 

Summit 12.8 

Uinta & Daggett, 11.0 

Salt Lake 12.0 

Tooele 10.0 

Carbon 11.0 


FIGURE 3. DEATH RATE PER 1000 POPULATION IN UTAH COUNTIES 
WITH OVER 5000 POPULATION, ARRANGED ACCORDING TO PER CENT MOR- 
MONS IN THE COUNTIES IN 1916. AVERAGE FOR THE 10 Years 1911 To 
1920. RURAL PARTS ONLY OF SALT LAKE AND WEBER COUNTIES. DATA 
FROM MORTALITY STATISTICS, U. 8. BUREAU OF CENSUS. 


with most Mormons could not well be expected to 
be a regular gradation according to the proportion 
of Mormons because of the movement of the sick 
and injured population to hospitals, etc. Davis 
county in the upper group and Weber county (rural 
part only) in the second are perhaps low because of 
movement to hospitals of Ogden and Salt Lake City. 


88 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


The records of the Mormon Church should give 
more positive evidence of mortality among the Mor- 
mons, because regardless of the place of death the 
record is obtained by the local authorities. The rate 
among the members, which of course includes many 
persons outside of Utah, was 9.0 per 1000 for the 
ten-year period under consideration. This is slightly 
below the average for the counties with over 80 per 
cent of Mormons and 2.0 per 1000 or 18 per cent 
below the average for the 9 counties with less than 
80 per cent. 

All of the evidence presented points to a low 
general death rate among the Mormons. The exact 
reason for this low death rate is more difficult to 
point out with no more evidence than is now 
available, 

The influence of the Word of Wisdom should be 
especialy apparent in the death rate from tubercu- 
losis, pneumonia, and other diseases where the life 
or death of the victim depends upon vitality unim- 
paired by alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs or stimu- 
lants. Cancer of the buccal cavity, especially of the 
lower lip, is commonly ascribed to smoking or the 
use of hot drinks. Acute nephritis and Bright’s dis- 
ease or other diseases of the kidneys are likely to be 
more prevalent among heavy meat eaters and those 
who use alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, etc., although 
other factors such as exposure to cold, or to acute 
diseases may overweigh the above contributing 
causes. 


HEALTH OF THE MORMONS 89 


It is hazardous to make close comparisons of the 
death rates in different states by specific causes 
except where the symptoms can be clearly diagnosed 
as they can in cancer of the external organs, and to a 
lesser extent tuberculosis, and a few others. Medical 
authorities claim that where the cause of the death 
is internal, and especially where a good diagnosti- 
cian is not called before the death, from 10 to 20 per 
cent or more of the cases are likely to be classified 
under the wrong cause. For this reason, and also 
because there are often several factors which pre- 
dispose the victim, only very rough conclusions can 
be drawn from statistics of deaths as affected by 
abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, hot drinks, or 
moderation in diet in other ways. 

No comparison of violent deaths or those due to 
contagious diseases, such as scarlet fever where the 
course of the disease is short, would be of real value 
in such a study. A large part of these diseases also 
occur in the early ages and often before the victim 
has had a chance to be affected by the Word of 
Wisdom. With the exception of violent deaths and 
perhaps one or two of the quick acting contagious 
diseases, the death rate in Utah is low, in comparison 
with the average, from all causes.* The causes of 
death which will be compared in this study are 
those which usually occur in middle or later life, 
because it is this class of deaths that is most likely 
to be affected by the sort of life lived by the victim. 

*Mortality Rates, 1910-1920, pp. 234-258. 


90 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


Tuberculosis can be pretty well diagnosed by 
modern medical science. It ordinarily does not 
cause sickness and death except where the body has 
in some way been lowered in its resistance. Few 
suffer from it where they live sane lives free from 
stimulants, or excesses of any kind. Tuberculosis 
of the lungs is the main tubercular disease causing 
death and is perhaps the easiest to diagnose. The 
death rate from this form of tuberculosis in Utah 
did not exceed 42.2 per 100,000 population in the 
10-year period ending in 1920, whereas that for the 
Registration area was never below 100.8 and in 1911 
was up to 138.2. In no year of this 10-year period 
did any state have a lower rate than Utah. The 
average for Utah was about 38 and the Mormon 
population appears to have a much lower rate than 
this as the Church records ® indicate a rate of only 
11.5 for these years. 

While it cannot be positively stated that tobacco 
and hot drinks are factors in the cause of cancer of 
the buccal cavity, this is the opinion of many who 
have studied the question thoroughly. For the 
Registration area, the number of deaths per 100,000 
population from this cause during the 10-year period 
under consideration is given as 3.05, whereas that 
for Utah was 2.07 and the only state with a lower 
rate was Kentucky. There is reason for believing 
that the low rate in the latter state is partly due to 


* Mortality Records kept in L. D. §S. Bishop’s Office. 
* Mortality Statistics, 1911-1920, U. S. Bur. Census, 


HEALTH OF THE MORMONS 91 


error in classifying because the rate for cancer of 
the skin, under which cancer of the buccal cavity 
might be classified, was 3.10 in Kentucky as com- 
pared with 1.99 for Utah, and the classification as 
given in Kentucky is questioned nearly six times as 
frequently as in Utah. The records of the Church 
indicate the rate among its members to be 1.18 for 
this period. 

While the significance of the fact is not plain 
because of a lack of understanding of cancer by the 
medical world, it might be mentioned that Utah is 
low in all forms of cancer and the Mormons’ rate is 
about one-third lower than that of the State of 
Utah. 

As indicated above, acute nephritis and Bright’s 
disease seem to be influenced by the excessive use 
of protein or meat. If the Mormon teachings against 
the use of large quantities of meat are observed, 
there should be evidence of it in their death rate 
from this cause. The records of the Census Bureau 7 
for the 10-year period give the death rate per 
100,000 population for the whole United States as 
approximately 100 as compared with 66 for Utah. 
During this period three states had a lower average 
rate than Utah, but no state has had a lower rate 
than Utah in all years. The Mormon Church gives 
the rate among its members as 46, indicating that it 
is the Mormons that have most influence in giving 
Utah its low rate. 


* Ibid. 


92 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


A more detailed analysis of the death rates in 
Utah as compared with other states will not be 
attempted. Before closing this discussion, however, 
it might be mentioned that in spite of the high death 
rate by accident and other violent causes in Utah, 
the rate for suicide and homicide are low and the 
Mormon records show a rate for both of these causes 
which is less than half that of the State of Utah. 

In conclusion it can be said that the death rate 
among the Mormons is considerably below the aver- 
age of the United States. The rates of Minnesota 
and Washington are lower than the State of Utah, 
but the Mormon records give a rate which is some- 
what below even the rural parts of these states. 
With the exception of those causes which involve 
large proportions of persons at the younger ages 
where Utah would naturally be high because of the 
large proportion of children, Utah stands well in the 
top ranks of states with low death rates from pre- 
ventable causes. The low death rates for tubercu- 
losis, cancer of the buccal cavity, kidney diseases, 
and perhaps other causes, seem to indicate that the 
freedom from stimulants, drugs, and excesses of 
other kinds among the Latter-day Saints is having 
a beneficial effect upon their health. 


CHAPTER 10 
MORMON WOMEN AS MOTHERS 


EER since the organization of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints, its followers have placed 
great emphasis on the family and the home; there 
has never been race suicide among this people, even 
during periods of adversity. This condition may be 
partially understood from a discussion of two funda- 
mental conceptions of the members of the Church. 
The first has to do with their philosophy of the 
future world, which teaches that eternal joy is 
dependent on continual progression and that joy 
and progression are added to by a large posterity. 
Just as a man and his wife on earth find their 
greatest happiness in the development and the ac- 
complishments of their children, so it is thought that 
eternal bliss is affected by the number and the 
progress of one’s descendants. Thus a large family 
becomes a means not only of earthly happiness, but 
also an aid to eternal exaltation. 

The other explanation of attention given the 
family among the Mormon people may be found in 
their general attitude toward the homely virtues as 


contrasted with the fleeting pleasures that accom- 
93 


94 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


pany personal indulgence and selfishness. In the 
Mormon community one never sees special honors 
bestowed for selfishness. On the other hand, self- 
sacrifice and doing for others is always given the 
highest respect. The sturdy human qualities are 
the ones that are honored. These qualities and 
tendencies naturally lead to the home and the 
family, and one finds in the religious service of the 
Latter-day Saints a large amount of time spent in 
discussion of the duties and obligations of members 
of the family to one another. 

Let us make an examination of the statistics 
which relate to some phases of family life to see 
how these principles of belief work out in practice. 
First, let us consider the size of the family. The 
U.S. Bureau of Census reports the average number 
of persons to a family in Utah in 1920 (the relation- 
ships are much the same during other Census years) 
to be 4.6, whereas the average for the whole United 
States is 4.3. Eight of the states in the Southern 
groups had average families as large as or slightly 
larger than Utah, but the only Northern state with 
a larger average family was North Dakota with 4.8 
persons per family. This comparison allows some 
doubt as to the exact number of children, however, 
because every unmarried person, even those with no 
known relatives, is included in the average family. 

A more satisfactory idea of the relative number 
of children in the birth registration part of the 
United States is found in the U. S. Census Bu- 


MORMON WOMEN AS MOTHERS 95 


reau’s Birth Statistics.1 Yearly reports are made in 
these publications of the number of children now 


Children 
rae Bath 1 Z 3 4 
Registration Area 2.9 3.3 rer RENARD ANAL ZIP We 
ELT oe Se ee 
North. Carolina 3.4 3.9 TE eae Sn 
South Carolina Be} 3.8 eT | a 
Virginia 3.3 Ne 
Kentucky 3.1 3.6 EERIE ePID RST LP BAO VIS LTO ty i A | Enea 
Utah 3.2 350 le — 
Pennsylvania 3.0. 3.5 ee ee 
Maine ? 3.4 —— ee 
Maryland 2.9 SP 4 SRSA SAME US TO BHD 
Voreons 2.9 3.4 TORIES I TS 
New Hampshire ” 3.3 REE ETMaRoe | — 
Minnesota , 3.0 aa koi Ra eRvORERTOERINIaNNE! — 
Connecticut 2.9 3.3 LIRA Tame cameamneasaN 
Wisconsin 2.9 3.3 es ae 
Nebraska 3.0 3.2 SEEGERS 
Michigan 2.8 3.2 jeoencssensrmpascapnm eres csmrmaererngeny 
Indiana 2.8 ee oe 
Kansas 2.8 3.1 ee 
New Jersey 2.7 3.1 a — 
Ohio 2.7 3.1 SEES 
New York | 2.7 3.1 CoE SEnNER merous 
Washington 2.5 2.8 § es) 
California 2.4 2.7 Tease 
Oregon 25 ZAE® f : faa] 
£2 G: 2.9 2.6 aE Be 


Ge Living (__J Dead 
FIGURE 4. AVERAGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN EVER BORN PER MOTHER, 
AND THOSE NOW LIVING. BASED ON CHILDREN OF MOTHERS WHO BORE 
CHILDREN DURING THE YEARS FROM 1917 To 1921. DATA FROM BIRTH 
STATISTICS, U. S. BUREAU OF CENSUS. 


living and the number ever born to women now 
bearing children. In the following study of these 
reports the five year average ending in 1921 is used 


* These reports include the years from 1915 to date. Utah has 
been included in the last 5 reports, 1917 to 1921. 


96 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


rather than single years in order to eliminate yearly 
irregularities. 

A glance at Figure 4 shows it to agree fairly 
closely with the regular Census figures mentioned 
above. In number of children the mothers in the 
Southern States head the list, but those of Utah 
stand at the head of the Northern states. To each 
ten mothers in Utah 35 children have been born as 
compared with 39 for the highest and 26 for the 
lowest states. 

If, instead of the average number of children born 
to present mothers, we consider the birth rate per 
1000 general population of the states,” it is found 
that Utah averages highest in the Registration Area. 
The average for all states during this five-year 
period was 23.9 as compared with 31.4 for Utah. 
Oregon, California, Washington and the District of 
Columbia all had less than two-thirds the birth rate 
of Utah. The Southern States rank next to Utah. 

Calculating the births to the number of married 
women 15 to 44 years of age,® it is found that for 
each 100 married women in Utah 22.7 children are 
born every year, or in other words each one has a 
child every 4.4 years. The average for the Registra- 
tion Area is 16.9 children per 100 married women or 
a child for each one every 5.9 years. North Carolina 
is the only state with a higher rate than Utah. The 
rate for Oregon is 12.5, or one child per married 


*U.S. Bur. Census, Birth Statistics, 1917-1921. 
* Birth Statistics, 1921, p. 16, single years only. 


MORMON WOMEN AS MOTHERS 97 


woman in 8 years. At these rates Utah is furnish- 
ing a surplus over her 3.3 to 4 children per married 
couple, the number eonsidered necessary to maintain 
the population, whereas Oregon, Washington, the 
District of Columbia, and some of the others with 
low rates are apparently not maintaining their 
population by natural increase. 

Giving birth to a large number of children, how- 
ever, is not the only requirement of a good mother. 
To no small extent she is responsible for the condi- 
tions which determine whether or not the children 
will live and grow up strong and healthy. Of vital 
importance, then, is the proportion of children who 
live after being born. 

In Figure 5 is presented the average percentage 
of deaths of all children born to mothers bearing 
children during the years 1917 to 1921. The order 
of the states tends to be the reverse of that for the 
total number of children ever born as given in 
Figure 4. Oregon and Washington, which were both 
very low in births per mother, are among the best 
four in the percentage of survival, and the reverse 
may be said of North and South Carolina. Utah 
holds the unique position of being among the 
highest five states in both birth rate per mother and 
in survival. No other state with a total birth rate 
as great as the average of all states held a position 
in child survival as great as the average of all states, 
This apparently shows that the Utah mothers are 
greatly concerned about having a large family of 


98 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


healthy children. Before leaving Figure 5 it may be 
well to mention that because Oregon and Nebraska 


Per cent Per Per cent Dead 

Now cent 

Living Dead 
Registration Area 87.7 12.3 
Oregon (3 yrs.) 92.2 7.8 
Nebraska (2 yrs.) 92.0 8.0 
Minnesota $1.2 8.8 
Washington 91.0 9.0 
Utah 90.8 9.2 
Kansas 90.3 9.7 
Wisconsin 89.9 10.1 
Indiana 89.1 10.9 
Washington, D.C. (3 yrs.) 88.5 11.5 
Ohio 88.3 11.7 
Michigan 87.9 12.1 
Virginia 87.6 12.4 
New York 87.4 12.6 
California 87.3 1227, 
Kentucky ° 87.1 12.9 
Connecticut 86.8 Lace 
New Jersey (1 yr.) 86.8 13.2 
North Carolina 86.6 13.4 
South Carolina 86.6 13.4 
Vermont 86.2 13.8 
Pennsylvania 85.9 14.1 
Maryland 85.5 14.5 





FIGURE 5. PER CENT OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED IN VARIOUS 
STATES. BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN EVER BORN TO 
MOTHERS WHO BORE CHILDREN DURING THE YEARS FROM 1917 TO 
1921. DATA FROM BIRTH STATISTICS, U. 8. BUREAU OF CENSUS. 


have a shorter record than most of the other states, 
their relative rank may change in the future, 
although the change is not likely to be drastic 
because these states as well as Minnesota and 
Washington have perhaps been more active in 
stressing child care and welfare than other states. 


Birth 


Rate 
STATE AVERAGE S14 KXXAXXXXXXXKXM 
eee 
Gural Counttes 82.9 ci oal Gd, : ; 
Over 90% L.D. S. 
Group 1 A == eee 
Kane 41,0 DASA OS 
Garfield 44.6 Eon 
Wayne fae, | MRE CTE 
Davis B27 
info 9) RR NE 
80 to 89% L. D. S. 
Group 2 6527 
Iron ‘ 
Washingtor ri 
Cache 84.7 
Sevier 87.0 
Boxelder 33.6 
Millard 37.3 
Wasatch & Duchesne 36,7 
“Group 3 31.4 
Emery 33.3 
Utah 30.6 
Morgan 30.0 
Beaver 36.9 
Weber 30.2 
Rich 36.0 
Group 4 29.8 
Summit” 30.8 
Salt Lake 29.1 
Uinta & Daggett 32.0 
Group 5 32.) 
San Juan 24.6 
Tooele 27.6 
Grand 25.7 
Carbon 86.9 
Piute 31.8 





FIGURE 6. AV. BIRTH RATES PER 1000 Por. IN UTAH couNTIEs, 1917- 
1921 (RURAL S. L. AND WEBER.) FROM U. S. CENSUS, BIRTH STATISTICS. 


99 


100 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


The above discussion on deaths of children born 
to present mothers includes children of every age. 
If we consider only deaths during the first year of 
life when carelessness is most likely to cause death, 
it is found, as would be expected, because a large 
proportion of children’s deaths come during the first 
year, that the relationship of the states is nearly the 
same as that given in the above paragraph. During 
this five-year period Utah had only 70 deaths of 
infants under one year of age per 1000 live births 
as compared with 89 for the whole Registration 
Area. Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washing- 
ton, with rates of 66, 62, 59, and 64 respectively, 
were all below that for Utah. 

In this chapter, up to this point, it has been 
brought out that Utah ranks among the highest 
states in birth rates and among the lowest in death 
rates of children. It now remains to determine the 
influence which the Mormon population of Utah has 
on these factors. 

Arranging the counties by percentage of Mormons 
in 1916 as done in other studies, the results for these 
five years are as indicated in Figures 6, and 7. As 
might have been expected because of varying condi- 
tions, the counties in Figure 6 do not vary regularly 
with the percentage of Mormons in them. The two 
counties with highest proportion of Mormons were 
highest in birth rate, but in the group of counties 
with over 90 per cent Mormons occurs Juab county 
which contains mining towns with relatively few 


Deaths per 40 50 60 70 80 90 


































1000 Births 
STATE AVERAGE 71.2, IXXAXXXXXXXXXAAXXKAN 
Rural Counties CIF Ra es osetia Ane | 
Group 1 63.9 
Kane 50.4 
Garfield 79.9 
Wayne 49.2 
Juab 68.3 
Davis 48.3 
Sanpete 69.9 
'Group 2 $5.2 
Iron 48.3 
Washington 55.8 
Cache 58.3 
Sevier 80.0 
Boxelder 70.4 
Millard 67.3 Es EA Aa 
Wasatch & Duchesne 61.8 -a SE SY aS ; 
Group 3 67.2 
Emery 68.3 
Utah 62.9 
Morgan 89.2 
Beaver 91.0 
Weber 66.9 SEK 
Rich 52.9 Bs Pee 
Group 4 1? 
Summit 66.6 I | 
Salt Lake 00.0 KEES Eee , 
Uinta & Daggett 74.0 FTIR RRR ERE 
Less than 40% L. D. S. 
Group 5 85.1 
San Juan 80.5 
Tooele 71.9 
Grand 90.9 
Carbon 93.9 
Piute 62,5 


FIGURE 7. DEATHS OF INFANTS UNDER ONE YHAR PER 1000 BirTHS IN 
UTAH COUNTIES, 1917-1921 (RURAL S. L. AND WEBER). FROM U. 8. CEN-= 
SUS, BIRTH STATISTICS. 

101 


102 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


women, and this brings the birth rate of the county 
down to that of the lowest counties in the state. 
On the other hand, Carbon county in the group with 
less than 40 per cent of Mormons is a mining county 
but the workers are largely Italians and Greeks with 
many women and a high birth rate. In general, 
however, it is seen that the birth rate is higher in 
the counties with over 80 per cent of Mormons than 
in those with a smaller percentage. The averages 
of the first two groups are above the average of rural 
Utah, whereas the other three groups are all below 
this average, indicating that there is a distinct 
tendency for a higher birth rate among the 
Mormons. 

The statistics kept by the Mormon Church, which, 
of course, include births among members in other 
states as well as in Utah, indicate for these 5 years 
a birth rate per 1000 members of 35.7, or the same 
as the rate for the Utah counties with 80 to 89 per 
cent Mormons. This rate is very much greater than 
any other large, distinct body of people in the 
United States, as far as is known. 

In Figure 7 is shown the deaths of infants under 
one year for each 1000 total live births for the dif- 
ferent counties and groups of counties. Irregulari- 
ties occur in the counties grouped by percentage of 
Mormons in this figure the same as in the one for 
births. In general, however, there is a distinct 
tendency for the deaths of infants under one year 
to be less frequent among the counties highest in 


MORMON WOMEN AS MOTHERS 103 


Mormons. This tendency is brought out in the 
averages for the groups of counties; the averages 
beginning with the top are about 64, 65, 67, 78, and 
85. The rate among the members of the Mormon 
Church # for these five years is given as 51.2. This 
is about the same as the Government rates of some 
of the counties highest in Mormons as given in the 
figure. No state in the Union has had such a low 
rate as this for an equal period of time, although 
Oregon had a lower rate during the single year 1921. 

In summing up the facts presented in this section 
concerning Mormon women as mothers, it can be 
said that they do not shirk their duty of bringing 
children into the world. No Registration state in 
the United States exceeds Utah in births per 1000 
population, and only one state in births per 100 
married women between the ages 15 and 44. The 
counties highest in Mormons and the records of the 
Mormon Church both indicate that it is the mem- 
bers of that Church which cause the birth rate in 
Utah to be high. 

The Mormon women have proportionately fewer 
deaths among the children which they bear than is 
the case among other large bodies of peoples in the 
United States. While four states show a slightly 
better record than Utah in this respect, the Mormon 
sections of Utah have a distinctly smaller proportion 
of deaths of infants than other portions and the 
records of the Mormon Church show rates lower 

*L. D. S. church records, 


104 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


than any state in the Registration area. Therefore 
it can be said that the Mormon women are not only 
willing to give birth to large families, but they are 
anxious to have the children live and they have the 
intelligence to care for them properly. 

The sacredness with which childbearing and the 
proper rearing of children are regarded by the 
Latter-day Saints very likely accounts for the family 
relationships which exist among them. 


CAAA PHT BR \ DL 
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE AMONG THE MORMONS 


Oruer things being equal, the community with 
the largest proportion of its individuals of marriage- 
able age happily joined in wedlock, is likely to be 
the most desirable one from almost any standpoint. 
Despite the fact that the old maid and bachelor 
often have more money to spend on the luxuries of 
life, it is generally conceded that there is something 
lacking in their lives which prevents them from 
enjoying the fullest happiness, especially as old age 
comes on. This unsatisfied phase of their lives gives 
many of them a restless spirit which prevents them 
from using their capabilities to the best advantage. 
For this reason business men often prefer married 
men in positions of responsibility. Because of better 
health, greater contentment, a stronger feeling of 
responsibility and many other factors,1* mature mar- 
ried people are likely to be better citizens than the 
unmarried. 

Conversely, a high divorce rate in a community is 
likely to be a bad thing. Divorce not only leaves 
the individuals subject to the undesirable features 
mentioned in the above paragraph, but it may also 


78 American Mag., Vol. 99 (Feb.), p. 15. 
105 


106 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


have other implications. A large proportion of all 
divorces are due to some violation of the virtues of 
self-sacrifice, forbearance, and loyalty, on which the 
success of the family depends. Selfishness or harsh 
self-assertion is the cause of by far the greater part 
of all divorces not due to insanity or incapacity. 
The guilty party to a divorce is frequently not a 
good citizen because of a lack of loyalty or because 
of selfishness which oversteps the bounds of good 
taste, sometimes bordering on lawlessness. These 
undesirable qualities are likely to be permanent 
defects because, as a rule, they are due to heredity 
or bad training in childhood. Divorce is especially 
undesirable where there are children in the family, 
as there are in over a third of the total cases in the 
United States, because it tends to emphasize and 
bring out hate and selfishness in the younger genera- 
tion. It must be admitted that divorce is an un- 
desirable feature of society in spite of the fact that 
it is the only logical choice where the individuals 
cannot live together in peace and happiness. 
Because the vitality of the nation is likely to be 
undermined by the spread of conditions, such as 
those of unfavorable marriage and divorce rates, 
which threaten the happiness of the people through 
destruction of the family relationships, it becomes 
of importance to learn of centers of good or bad 
influence in these regards. A study of marriage and 
divorce among the Latter-day Saints should furnish 
*Ross, The Principles of Sociology, p. 586. 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 107 


information to help in judging of their social 
conditions. 

The Mormons believe that God ordained the 
union of the sexes in marriage for all eternity as 
well as for the present life. To be thus united the 
marriage must be solemnized in a temple through 
authorized agents. Because of the sacredness with 
which this form of marriage is regarded, there is a 
tendency for those contemplating marriage to be 
careful and prayerful that they find a partner with 
whom they can be congenial during the life to come 
as well as now. When children come from such a 
marriage the bonds holding the parents together 
become very much stronger, because they believe 
they are responsible for the welfare of children not 
only here but hereafter, and the effort to guide their 
children aright tends to prevent antagonism and 
divorce. 

In comparing the proportion of marriages in the 
different states to gain the information desired for 
this study, perhaps the best basis is that of the per- 
centage of unmarried males and females above the 
reproductive age, or older than 44 years, which is 
the approximate upper limit. The proportion of 
single persons above this age who ever marry is 
relatively small and the results of such marriages 
are not likely to be so satisfactory as earlier ones. 

A study of the percentage of single males and 
females above 44 years of age, as reported in the 
1920 U.S. Census, shows that for the whole country 


108 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


10.3 per cent of the males and 8.6 per cent of the 
females are still single. 

In the Eastern States, where the males and 
females are nearly equal in numbers, the proportion 
of each unmarried and over 44 years of age is nearly 
the same, whereas in the West, where males greatly 
outnumber the females, the single males are rela- 
tively large in numbers. The percentages of single 
males and single females in Utah were 8.6 and 3.6 
respectively. Oklahoma and Arkansas were the only 
states with a smaller proportion than Utah of both 
males and females who were single. Kentucky, 
Virginia, West Virginia, and all the states south of 
the Tennessee line as far west as New Mexico had a 
larger percentage of males above this age who have 
been married than Utah, but the percentage of 
females was smaller. 

Other than Oklahoma and Arkansas, the only 
states with a larger percentage of females who have 
been married than had Utah were Idaho and 
Wyoming with rates of 96.9 each, which is one-half 
per cent above Utah. These latter two states, how- 
ever, had only 83.9 and 80.1 per cent respectively 
of their males who had been married as compared 
with 91.4 for Utah and the excess of males is an 
important reason for the large proportion of married 
females in these states. 

The above figures clearly show that by the time 
the reproductive period is past a relatively large 
proportion of the Utah population has been married. 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 109 


For the age periods below 25 years, however, Utah 
is not greatly above the average in proportion of 
those who are married. Nearly all of the southern 
states have a larger percentage of younger people 
married than has Utah. It is in the age periods 
above 25 years and especially for the native born 
whites that Utah begins to rank high in percentage 
married. Only 4 and 9 states respectively had a 
larger percentage than did Utah of males and 
females married at the ages of 25 to 34. 

The Census Bureau does not report the number 
single by counties; hence we cannot from this source 
see the effect the Mormons have on percentage of 
persons who marry. From statistics of the Mormon 
Church giving the members single and over 21 years 
old, however, the relative standing of Mormon and 
others can be partially deduced. The Church © 
figures indicate that about 87 per cent of the mem- 
bers over 21 years old were married in 1920 as com- 
pared with approximately 81 per cent, according to 
government statistics for the State of Utah. While 
this is only a difference of 6 per cent this means 
considerable when it is remembered that about two- 
thirds of the state of Utah is made up of Mormons. 

Considered from the standpoint of current mar- 
riages as given in the special Marriage and Divorce 
publications of the U. 8. Bureau of Census, it is 
found that Utah is somewhat above the average for 
the United States. The rates per 10,000 general 
population for the two census years, 1916 and 1922, 


110 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


were 121 and 112 respectively for Utah and 107 and 
103 for the whole United States. There were 11 
states with a higher marriage rate than Utah in 
1916, and 16 in 1922. Statistics of the Mormon 
Church indicate the rate to have been 147 and 184 
per 10,000 members for the two years 1916 and 1922. 
These rates were exceeded by only three states in 
1916 and five states in 1922. The proportionately 
large number of children, of course, makes the Mor- 
mon rates on a basis of all members seem smaller 
than they would be on the basis of persons of mar- 
riageable ages. This is brought out by the statistics 
of marriages for the years 1898 to 1902 ? when it was 
found that outside of seven Southern states, Utah 
had the highest marriage rate per 10,000 unmarried 
persons over 15 years of age. 

Divorces. In making comparisons of divorce sta- 
tistics of different states, it should be kept in mind 
that the laws in the states vary greatly. South 
Carolina allows no divorces; New York allows no 
divorces except to actual residents of the state and 
then for no cause except adultery; the District of 
Columbia requires three years of residence and thé 
only causes for divorce are fraud, incapacity, insan- 
ity, and lack of age; Nevada, on the other hand, 
requires only six months of residence and grants 
divorce for cruelty, desertion one year, drunkenness, 
fraud or force, imprisonment for felony, incapacity, 
adultery, consanguinity, neglect, or lack of age. In 

*Bureau of Census Bulletin 96, p. 37. 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 111 


North Carolina 10 years must elapse before desertion 
becomes a cause for divorce, whereas in 23 other 
states desertion for a single year is sufficient. These 
differences in standards of the divorce laws greatly 
affect the number of divorces in a given state, 
Couples living in states with rigid laws often move 
temporarily to states where the laws are lax. Thus 
the rate in Nevada with very lax laws was 36 times 
that for the District of Columbia and 33 times that 
for New York, both of which have rigid laws. 
Nevada awarded 213 divorces to couples married in 
New York but only 186 to those married in Nevada.® 

The divorce laws of Utah are rather liberal. 
Divorce or nullification of marriage can be had for 
nearly any cause for which it can in other states. 
Only one year’s residence is required and desertion 
one year is cause for action. Therefore few of those 
seeking divorce in Utah have any incentive for going 
to other states, and the fact that most of the sur- 
rounding states also have relatively liberal laws 
keeps most outsiders from coming to the State 
expressly to secure divorce. 

Keeping the above points in mind we are now 
prepared to consider the statistical facts. In 19163 
the estimated number of divorces per 100,000 popu- 
lation in Utah was 157 as compared with 113 for the 
whole U. 8. There were 33 states with a lower rate 
than Utah. The estimates for 1922 place the rate 
for Utah at 129 and the average for all states at 136, 


* Marriage and Divorce, 1922, Census Bureau. 


112 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


with 20 states showing a lower rate than Utah. If 
the states showing a smaller proportion of divorces 
than Utah are studied separately, it is seen that they 
either allow fewer causes for divorce or have more 
rigid laws. Practically all of the states with low 
divorce rates occur along the Eastern and Southern 
coasts of the U. S. where divorce is most difficult to 
secure. In 1922 the only interior states with rates 
lower than Utah were Wisconsin, Minnesota, the 
Dakotas and New Mexico, the latter state having 
practically the same rate as Utah.t Compared with 
states in the West where sentiment toward divorce 
is liberal, Utah ranks favorable; compared with 
Eastern states her rate is high. 

How do the Mormons compare in divorce with 
the non-Mormons in Utah? A detail study of the 
counties arranged according to Mormon population 
should be significant because it is required that the 
parties to a divorce shall have been living in the 
county in which action is brought for one year, and 
the population is not likely to be shifted to other 
counties within the State in divorce action as is the 
case with marriage. However, because two of the 
counties had no divorces during these two years and 
in some of the others not enough were secured to 
make a statistical study reliable, the divorces for 
both years are averaged and only the averages for 


‘This relationship to other states is also shown by the divorce 
statistics covering the periods 1870, 1880, 1890, and 1900 found in 
Bureau of Census Bulletin 96, p. 42. 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 113 
the groups of counties are presented.» The divorces 


for each 100,000 estimated population are shown 
below: 





Counties with Sum of Total Total Dj Divorces per 
Given Per Cent | Population for pee 6 FSR iMl 00,000 
Mormons ® 1916 and 1922 ’ Population 
be LCK) wretyans nay ah. 94,954 56 59 
SSO Pca ero ee 175,718 130 74 
Glia fis si ke ey 114,707 72 63 
WOU te lowe inl: 430,381 946 220 
USE Lp a 60,882 53 88 





The group containing 47-57 per cent Mormons 
contains the large cities of Utah but the other groups 
are essentially rural and comparable. The table 
shows that the group with the highest proportion 
of Mormons is lowest in divorce rate and the group 
(excluding the urban group) with least Mormons 
had the highest rate. 

The divorce statistics kept by the Mormon 
Church 7 show a rate of 47 and 54 for the years 1916 
and 1922, with an average of 52 for the two years. 
For the five years between these dates beginning 
with 1917, the rates were 45, 33, 44, 70 and 47. The 
average for the two years being discussed is a little 
below the average for the group of counties highest 
in Mormons. The only states showing lower divorces 


* The three counties with the lowest divorce rates were highest 
jn Mormons. 

*See Fig. 9 for grouping of counties, 

"Records kept at Presiding Bishop’s Office of L.D.S. Church. 


114. THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


per 100,000 population than those given for the 
Mormon Church are the District of Columbia, New 
York, and North Carolina for both years and New 
Jersey and North Dakota for single years. 

The young people of the Mormon Church who are 
in good standing are advised to be married in the 
temples, but only those who live up to the teachings 
of the Church are allowed to go to these sacred 
edifices, The others may be married by the civil 
authorities, or by some official of the Church out- 
side of the temples. It may be further said that the 
temple marriages are “for time and all eternity,” 
whereas the civil marriages are “till death do us 
part.” From the records of the Mormon Church it 
would seem that the seriousness of the sacred ordi- 
nances causes the parties contemplating temple 
marriage to consider their partners more carefully 
than where the other type of marriage is contracted. 
There was, for the two years 1916 and 1922, only 
one divorce for each 34 temple marriages as com- 
pared with one for each 23 civil marriages of 
members. The only other known place in the United 
States reporting a larger number of marriages for 
each divorce than that for the Mormons married in 
the temples is the District of Columbia and it is 
probable that the only reason this place seems to 
exceed the Mormon record is that the divorce laws 
are so rigid that divorces are secured elsewhere; 
only 84 of the 481 couples married in the District 
of Columbia and securing divorces in 1922 were 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 115 


divorced in that place, over half of the District of 
Columbia marriage divorces occurring in the states 
of Virginia and Maryland. 

To sum up the evidence concerning marriage and 
divorce among the Mormons, it may be said that 
while the State of Utah, of which about 62 per cent 
are Mormons, does not rank exceptionally high in 
marriage rate, and is higher than the average state 
in divorce rate, the Mormon part of the population 
tends to have a higher marriage and a considerably 
lower divorce rate than the non-Mormon part. The 
Mormon Church records indicate that the Latter- 
day Saints have a marriage rate exceeded by very 
few other sections in the United States, and a divorce 
rate which is lower than all but four states. The 
divorces from temple marriages are fewer in propor- 
tion to the marriages than perhaps any other large 
group of people in the United States. The Mormon 
Church does not attempt to keep divorce down by 
forbidding it as does the Catholic Church, but it 
endeavors to impress on its members the sacredness 
of the marriage contract, and it does what it can to 
have its members so live that it will not be necessary 
for the husband or wife to secure a divorce. Divorce 
in itself is not considered to be so much the evil as 
the cause that leads up to the divorce. 


CHAPTER 12 
CHASTITY AMONG THE MORMONS 


Among civilized nations generally, the question of 
personal chastity is given much consideration. It is 
pretty well agreed that promiscuous sexual relations 
are a bad thing. The stability of the home, the 
health of the people, and the whole social order are 
endangered if standards of morality are allowed to 
degenerate. 

In any scientific study of Mormonism the question 
of chastity must be given consideration. In the 
early days of the Church when there was a limited 
practice of polygamy, opponents of this system 
based their excuse for persecution largely on the 
question of morality. To many of them polygamy 
was synonymous with unchastity. This was doubt- 
less based on an ignorance of the intimate life of 
those who practiced this principle, since it is claimed 
by those who made the most thorough observations 2 
that rarely has any large body of people been found 
in which personal chastity has been held in higher 
regard, and in which irregular sexual relations have 
been more vigorously condemned, than among the 
Mormons. 

The belief of the people concerning chastity is 
stated in the following words by a Mormon elder:? 


*Remy and Brenchley, Phil Robinson, Carlton, etc, 
2 Cowley. 


116 


CHASTITY AMONG THE MORMONS 117 


“We consider sexual crime the most blighting curse 
that infests the earth today. Adultery is considered 
as next in the catalogue of crime to murder. 
Individuals guilty of fornication or adultery are 
promptly excommunicated from the Church, unless 
the sin is followed by the most profound repentence 
and the best reparation which can possibly be made. 
The children around the family altar, in the Sunday 
Schools, Mutual Improvement Associations, Pri- 
mary Associations, and all the institutions of the 
Church, are taught to hold their virtue more sacred 
to them than life itself. When they attain to years 
of maturity and enter the holy state of matrimony, 
they vow before God, angels and the living witnesses 
that they will never violate the marriage covenants.” 

To arrive at the truth concerning sexual morality 
among the Mormons, several sources of information 
are available. Statistics of illegitimate births, of 
divorces for adultery, penitentiary commitments for 
sexual crimes, and the prevalence of sexual diseases 
among the general population as shown by World 
War statistics, should each throw some light on the 
question. 

Let us first consider the rate of illegitimacy for 
each 1000 total births.? Utah has been in the Regis- 
tration area for births since 1917 and a summary of 
the rates for these five years is shown in Figure 8. 
In the figure it is seen that the illegitimacy rates 


* Reported in the U. S. Bureau of Census, Birth Statistics for 
Registration States. 


118 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


for Kansas and Utah are nearly the same and are 
over two per 1000 below the state with the third 
best rate. The Registration Area rate is more than 


Registration Area 


Kansas 

Utah 

Connecticut 
Washington 
Nebraska (2 yrs.) 
Maine 

New York 

New Hampshire 
Indiana 

Wisconsin 
Michigan 

Oregon (3 yrs.) 
Ohio 

Vermont 
Kentucky 
Minnesota 
Pennsylvania 
Maryland 

North Carolina 
Virginia 


South Carolina (3 yrs.) 


19.4 


7.6 

7.9 
10.3 
10.4 
10.6 
10.9 
11.2 
12.0 
13.0 
13.5 
14.0 
14.0 
14.5 
15.6 
16.0 
16.8 
19.7 
48.4 
48.4 
53.5 
79.7 


6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 





FIGURD 8. ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN PER 1000 TOTAL BIRTHS IN BIRTH 


REGISTRATION 


AVERAGE FOR THE FIVE YEARS, 1917 To 1921. 
DATA FROM BIRTH STATISTICS, U. S. BUREAU OF CENSUS. 


double that for either Kansas or Utah. A study of 
the individual years,* shows that Kansas had a 
better record than Utah four out of the five years, 
but excepting in the year 1918 when there was a 
comparatively large proportion of illegitimate births 


“See 1921 report of Birth Statistics, p. 23. 


CHASTITY AMONG THE MORMONS 119 


in Utah, no other state had such a small ratio of 
illegitimate children during any year. The conclu- 
sion from this evidence is that Utah is very free from 
unchastity as compared with most other states. _ 
In the U.S. Bureau of Census report on “Marriage 
and Divorce” for 1916 adultery is given as the cause 
of 11.5 per cent of the total number of divorces in 
the whole United States. The percentage divorced 
for this cause in Utah was only 1.4. Of the divorces 
granted to the husband the average of all states was 
20.3 per cent for adultery, as compared with 4.8 per 
cent for Utah and only three states had a lower 
percentage than Utah.® The percentage of divorces 
granted to the wife for adultery in the United States 
was 7.5, and Utah with 0.6 was lower than all but 
three states. Practically the same facts are shown 
in the divorce statistics for the years 1887 to 1906 °; 
five states had a lower rate of divorces granted to 
the husband for adultery than Utah, but none a 
lower rate for those granted to the wife. 
Comparing the states by divorces for adultery 
per 100,000 general population in 19167 the average 
rate is found to be 12.4 and that for Utah 2.1. South 
Carolina grants no divorces at all, but other than 
this state, Wisconsin with a rate of 1.8 is the only 
one lower than Utah. In another place ® it is shown 


® Marriage and Divorce, 1916, U. S. Census Bureau. 
*Census Bureau, Bulletin 96. 

"Marriage and Divorce, 1916, U. S, Census Bureau. 
* Chapter 11. 


120 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


that the proportion of divorces coming from the 
Mormon population of Utah is very small compared 
with the figures for the State as a whole; and, 
because of the great abhorrence with which adultery 
is looked upon by the Mormons, it is doubtful if 
they were responsible for more than a small propor- 
tion of the cases reported from Utah. 

The prevalence of sex irregularity in a state should 
be roughly indicated by the number of persons sent 
to state prisons for sex crimes. Since fine distinc- 
tions are not made between the sex crimes at the 
penitentiaries, the comparisons should be made of 
all crimes involving the sex instincts. The only 
statistics available for making this study, which con- 
sider more than single years, are those for the 
Mountain States, but as these are more directly 
comparable with Utah than other states, this evi- 
dence should be fairly reliable. Calculated to the 
basis of convictions for sex crimes per 100,000 popu- 
lation the results are as follows: 


Convictions SEx CRIMES 


ene Total Convictions 
State Canes per 100,000 
onsidered Number Povulati 

opulation 
AIS RI eats dene 1919-22 50 a § 
WEYEHAA LCS fence S40 1919-22 9 2.9 
Colorado... vers .sh 1919-22 117 3.1 
New Mexico....... 1918, 1919, 1921, 1922 47 3.2 
Tesi Gee rue ey tae 1919-22 61 3.4 
Wyoming........... 1919-22 29 3.6 


Montara 2 cicy cit 1921-22 46 3.9 


CHASTITY AMONG THE MORMONS 121 


These figures show that Utah had at least as small 
a proportion of penitentiary convictions for this 
cause as any of the surrounding states. Elsewhere ° 
it is shown that the Mormons furnished less than 
their share of total criminals and it is probable that 
the same holds true with sex criminals.. 

Another type of evidence that throws light on 
morality is found in the army statistics of venereal 
diseases among those who entered the World War. 
These men were taken from all classes of society 
and were at an age when their life tendencies had 
developed. They were given rigid examinations by. 
the same officials who examined those from other 
localities, so the conclusions drawn by the examiners 
are impartial and comparable. 

The average rate of venereal diseases among the 
first million examined as reported by the Surgeon 
General 1° was 29 per 1000 persons drafted, while 
that for Utah was 8. Idaho and Oregon were the 
only states with a smaller proportion than Utah. 
The rate for Kansas, which had a smaller rate of 
illegal children than Utah, was 26, and Michigan, 
Wisconsin and Nevada with better records in 
divorces for adultery had rates of 19, 12, and 14 
respectively. 

Besides the statistical evidence of high morality 
among the Latter-day Saints there is considerable 
evidence in the reports of numerous observers who 


°Chapter 14. 
Off. Surg. Gen. Bul. 11, p. 79. 


122 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


are prepared to judge. An example is the statement 
of a Methodist Episcopal minister who lived for 
some time among the Mormons.!!_ He says: “The 
young men of the Mormon Church are clean young 
men, clear-eyed, brainy, and manly. The records of 
the half-million-dollar Deseret Gymnasium of the 
Mormon Church in Salt Lake City show that of the 
hundreds of young men examined there, there is yet 
to be found one tainted with unclean disease— 
a record unparalleled in most American cities.” 
Bancroft 12 states that “All the keepers of brothels, 
and nearly all the gamesters and saloon-keepers, 
were gentiles. Two hundred out of the two hundred 
fifty towns and villages in the territory contained 
not a single bagnio. Until gentiles settled in Salt 
Lake City there were seldom heard, in the streets or 
dwellings, oaths, imprecations, or expletives; there 
were no place-hunters or beggar-politicians; there 
was no harlotry; and there was neither political nor 
judicial prostitution. The Mormons were a people 
singularly free from vice.” 

The class of writers who have spoken unfavorably 
about the morals of the Mormons have, almost with- 
out exception, been uninformed or _ prejudiced, 
whereas a large number of observers whose reputa- 
tions are above question have spoken of the excellent 
moral conditions they have found. Miles Grant, 
editor of the World’s Crisis, at one time said: “We 


* Outlook, vol. 98 (1911), pp. 726-28. 
“4 History of Utah, p. 686. 


CHASTITY AMONG THE MORMONS 123 


came to the settled conclusion that there is less 
licentiousness in Salt Lake City than in any other 
one of the same size in the United States; and were 
we to bring up a family of children in these last days 
of wickedness, we should have less fears of their 
moral corruption were they in that city than in any 
other.” Sergeant Ballantyne, the eminent English 
Barrister, said: “The Mormons are really accom- 
plishing what the people in England aim to do in 
fighting the social evil. The diseases of dissipation 
and licentious practices are unknown among them. 
They are a clean, pure, and healthy community. It 
is a mistake to hold that the faith fosters lust. On 
the contrary, it is founded on a principle of religion 
which combats lustfulness.” Remy and Brenchley 
in their “A Journey to Salt Lake City” (1885), while 
unfavorable to the Mormons in many comments, 
say: “Love of truth compels us to say that we were, 
generally speaking, edified with all that we saw, and 
that, as far as external appearances go, Utah is the 
most moral country in the world. All the males in 
it are usefully employed; we met with neither slug- 
gards, idlers, gamblers nor drunkards. The polyga- 
mous Saints, almost without exception, left upon us 
the impression of being good fathers and husbands. 
All that passed under our eyes was decorous, and we 
have a decided objection to supposing that we had 
to deal only with hypocrites.” Several years later 
Phil Robinson,?* who spent considerable time mixing 
* Sinners and Saints, p. 186. 


124 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


intimately with the Mormons, commended them for 
their high standard of public morality. 

From the above discussion it is seen that as 
reflected in the number of illegal children, the 
divorces for adultery, the penitentiary convictions 
for sex crimes, and the number of young men with 
venereal diseases, the moral condition of the people 
of Utah is of a high standard. No state in the Union 
persistently showed a better record than Utah, 
although some states do appear slightly better in 
some of the comparisons. From other data bearing 
on divorces and penitentiary convictions,** where 
the Mormons of Utah can be partially or wholly 
segregated from the non-Mormons in the State, the 
conclusion that the Mormon portion of the State 
is as good or better than the rest does not seem 
unwarranted. The evidence given by the most 
trustworthy observers who have written about the 
Mormons indicates that as a people they are and 
always have been of a very high moral character. 

** Chapters 11 and 14. 


CHAPTER 18 
A STUDY OF INSANITY AMONG THE MORMONS 


CarINnG for the insane is one of the heavy burdens 
imposed on the various states. About two persons 
in every 1000 in the United States were inmates of 
insane asylums in 1917, but to take care of these 
persons requires 10 per cent of all general depart- 
ment state funds.2 In 1919 over $55,000,000 was 
required to care for the insane in hospitals and the 
amount has increased greatly since that year. Add 
to this the value of the patients’ time and we face 
a tremendous economic loss. 

It is obvious, therefore, that in the examination 
of any large body of people the question of insanity 
should be given consideration. Any group having 
a high percentage of insane cannot be considered 
an efficient unit of society. 

In our study of the fruits of Mormonism, it will, 
therefore, be well to inquire into the insanity condi- 
tions among this people. 

In the following table is shown the number of 

*U.S. Census Bureau. 


2 Financial Statistics of States, U. S. Census Bureau, 1916 and 
1919, 


125 


126 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


insane in hospitals and admittances during the given 
year per 100,000 general population for Utah and 
the United States, and the rank beginning with the 
state with fewest, which Utah held: 


TABLE SHOWING INSAND Por 100,000 PorPULATION IN HOSPITALS OF 
UTAH AND THE UNITED STATES AND THE RANK, BHGINNING WITH 
THE LOWEST, HELD BY UTAH 


No. per 100,000 in 


verte Rank ek by {Source of Infor- 
Utah Av.U.§ Uta mation 

1922 (total) ....| 148.4 260.9 Not available Census Bureau 
1922 (admitted) . 51.4 86.2 Not available 

1910 (total) .... 91.6 204.2 4th Statistical ae 
1910 (admitted).| 27.5 66.1 3rd Statistical Abs. 
1903 (total) ....) 114.5 186.2 12th Statistleal me 
1890 (total) .... 59.6 118.2 10th Statistical Abs. 

1912, p. 76 


From this table it is seen that Utah has had a very 
much smaller proportion of its population become 
insane than has the average state in the United 
States, and that only a few states have had as small 
a proportion of insane as Utah. 

To ascertain whether the Mormon portion of the 
population is less subject to insanity than the others, 
the commitments from each county for the twenty 
years ending in 1916 were tabulated and the counties 
arranged according to percentage of Mormons in 
them during 1916. Because nearly half of the 
counties furnished less than one patient a year, a 
statistical study of individual counties would be 
meaningless, and because two of the groups as given 
in other places in this book contain less than ten 


A STUDY OF INSANITY 127 


confinements a year or insufficient for dependable 
results, it was thought best to combine the counties 
into those with over 80 per cent Mormons, those 
with 50 to 73 per cent and those with less than 
50 per cent Mormons. The average number of 
insane per 100,000 population for the whole State 
during this 20-year period was 34.8. The average 
number coming from the counties with over 80 per 
cent Mormons was 20.9, whereas the rates for the 
two groups with less than 73 per cent Mormons were 
41.7 and 41.3. 

It is not the native stock so much as the alien 
which furnish the insane of Utah. During the 
census years 1900 to 1920 there were between 65 and 
70 per cent of the residents native of the State, but 
only 36 per cent of the insane were native born. 

Because of the marked differences between the 
counties as noted above, corroborative evidence that 
it was the Mormon population that caused the low 
rates in the counties was thought necessary. The 
records at the State Mental Hospital give the 
religion of those admitted and due to the fact that a 
large part of those admitted are known personally 
by the local officers, and because relatives are 
required to support the inmates, these records are 
fairly reliable as to religion. 

The 600 admittances during this period represent 
a rate of about 33 per 100,000 population or slightly 
below that for the 20-year period. It will be noted 
that the percentage of insane native of Utah is 9 


128 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


TABLE SHOWING THE NATIVITY AND RELIGION OF PERSONS ADMITTED 
To UTAH Srate MmpnTAL HOSPITAL DURING THE PERIOD JAN. 1, 
1918, To Fes. 12, 1922. Recorps 3400 To 4000 





i fi: Per 
Native of: ‘A Ga Kienkot 
Religion AEN aaah (MAREE Lge re Total Total fo 
‘or- n- s | Pop. in 
Utany Oss eign | known Insane |" 4916 
Mormom i.e 5 129 34 43 a 207 34.5 61.8 
Catholic ..... 6 21 44 1 42 12.0 2.4 
Methodist a 0 ‘D2 1 1 14 aS 4 
Presbyterian . 1 6 3 0 10 bey é a5 
Baptiste. 0 ve 1 0 8 1.3 3 
Other Protest.. 0 6 16 2 24 4.0 Aa 
Other Churches 1 28 15 6 50 8.3 6 
None ye Ooo, ies 23 5 / 1 42 7.0 
Not Known .. HUB 31 33 97 ANG: 28.8 
TP GOta Le eete a 162 168 161 109 600 99.9 


Per) CONE vais 64 27.0 28.0 26.8 18.2} 100.0 





below the rate for the longer period but the four 
years seem to be normal in most ways. While the 
Mormons constitute nearly 62 per cent of the total 
population according to the 1916 Religious Census, 
they furnished only 34.5 per cent of the insane 
during this period, and those native to Utah fur- 
nished only 21.5 per cent. Assuming the number 
of Mormons in Utah during these years to be 275,000 
the rate of insanity among them is 18.3. This is 14 
per 100,000 below that for the whole state, and is 
two below the average for the group of counties with 
over 80 per cent Mormons. 

The statistics presented in this discussion of the 
insane indicates that the State of Utah is relatively 
low in insanity. That this is not due to an ignoring 
of the insane by the people of Utah appears from 
the fact that during the Draft for the World War, 
when the people of the State were placed before 


A STUDY OF INSANITY 129 


impartial judges, only three or four states had a 
lower rate of rejections for mental deficiency or 
epilepsy.* Both the statistics from the Annual 
Reports of the Utah State Mental Hospital and 
those collected for this study show that the Mormon 
portion of the population of Utah has a lower rate 
of insanity than the other portion. The reason for 
this is not entirely clear since the whole question of 
the causes of insanity is so little understood. 

It is well known that heredity plays a large part 
in insanity, but there are also other contributing 
causes such as worry, which may be brought on by 
financial reversals, or by any great upheaval in the 
mental processes of the individual. 

The fact that Mormon philosophy is a philosophy 
of hope even in death, and that the people are not 
usually given to excesses, but go about their business 
in an every-day conservative sort of way may help 
to account for the relatively low insanity rate among 
them; or this condition may be due largely to favor- 
able hereditary conditions. Be this as it may, it is 
an interesting fact that this people which is some- 
times spoken of in derisive terms has a high rating 
in sanity. This is an important indicator of the 
general social balance of the people. 


* Final figures on the Draft in World Almanac, 1920, pp. 611-615. 
Utah had less mental deficiency than any other state by the time 
the first million recruits were obtained: Office of Surgeon Gen- 
eral, Bul. 11, p. 98. 


CHAPTER 14 
THE RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 


Tur study of any people would not be com- 
plete without an investigation of their attitude 
toward those offenses against society which lead to 
imprisonment. 

The Mormon people have been the subject of so 
much loose talk based on a lack of information, that 
it seems desirable to make a thorough canvass of 
all available official records to see just what are the 
facts regarding this much-discussed people. Are 
they as a class law-abiding citizens as affirmed by 
many observers, or do they disregard civil righteous- 
ness as some would have us think? 

In this study an attempt has been made to consult 
all possible official sources of information that would 
throw any light on the problem. One of the most 
fruitful sources of material has been the record of 
convictions to penitentiaries and jails. 

In presenting the data, no account will be taken 
of city and county jail convictions, because in con- 

130 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 131 


vietions for vagrancy, for violation of automobile 
regulations, for peace disturbance, and the like, 
which constitute no small proportion of the total 
convictions in some places, variations in the 
vigilance of local justices make it impossible to tell 
the true status of the relative number of those 
causing these minor offenses. Also city and county 
records can seldom be fully obtained because the 
crimes are not always recorded nor always fully 
reported to those gathering statistics. 

Convictions to penitentiaries are seldom made 
until after thorough investigations; the offenses are 
real and the records of every offender are kept. 
Penitentiary convictions are more nearly comparable 
directly in all states than are those of local jails, 
because in the former the crimes are the heinous 
ones which cause offense to everyone throughout the 
whole nation. For these reasons, penitentiary con- 
victions are likely to give a good index of the amount 
of crime being committed in any locality. This is 
not strictly the case, however, because in populous 
localities a smaller proportion of the criminals are 
caught than in the sparsely settled regions. But as 
criminals generally have headquarters in population 
centers, this tendency is partially neutralized. As 
far as possible in this investigation, reports for single 
years will be avoided because, especially in sparsely 
populated localities, the number of convictions 
during different years may vary widely. 

In a publication issued in 1923 the U.S, Bureau 


132 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


of Census gives, for the two years 1917 and 1922, 
the number of prisoners in state prisons. These 
data show that in 1917 there were 57.9 prisoners in 
the Utah penitentiary for each 100,000 general 
population. There were 13 states out of the 49 
(including the District of Columbia) with a lower 
rate than Utah. In 1922 Utah had a rate of 42.0; 
the four states, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and 
North and South Carolinas, were the only ones with 
a smaller rate. During the latter year the states 
bordering Utah had rates as follows: Wyoming, 
165.3; Colorado, 110.8; New Mexico, 111.4; Arizona, 
105.8; Nevada, 200.2, and Idaho, 61.8. These 
figures indicate that Utah ranks with the better 
class of states in number of criminals, and that she 
is distinctly superior to the surrounding states with 
which she should be most nearly comparable. 

Next, in order to discover the influence of the 
Mormons in Utah, let us group the counties of the 
State according to the percentage of Mormons as 
has been done in previous studies. Penitentiary 
reports 1 give the counties from which the criminals 
came, and by considering the records for a long 
period and combining the counties, the results 
should be reliable. In the following discussion the 
average of the 25-year period 1896 to 1920 is used 
for the number of criminals convicted per county 
each year. The proportion of Mormons in the coun- 
ties is assumed to have been the same as that given 

* Biennial Reports of the Utah State Prison, 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 133 


Rate per 100,000 






Per cent Total Rate per 
L.D. S. No.  100,000-_/2_ 20 30 40 5) 60 

STATE AVERAGE 61.8 3134? 34.2 —RpeaaEe 
Group 1 90-100 194 17.4 
Kane 100.0? 12 26.1 
Garfield 98.9 18 18.3 
Wayne 91.8 9 18.8 
Juab 91.5 4] 16.1 
Davis 90.7 62 25.1 
Sanpete 90.7 52 12.4 
Group 2 80-90 351 19.2 
Iron - 89.5 30 Dial 
Washington 86.4 9 6.5 
ache 84.4 81 14.3 
Sevier 82.6 42 17.1 
Boxelder 81.8 127 35.7 
Millard 80.9 26 14.5 
’ Wasatch & Duch. 80.4 36 15.8 
Group 3 60-73 371 28.5 
Emery 73.0 74 47.2 
Utah 69.2 237 25.6 
Morgan 67.6 17 28.9 
Beaver 66.1 34 30.3 
Rich 61.0 9 18.9 
Group 4 47-57 1834 42.3 
Summit 57.0 47 2251 
Weber 52.0 525 60.6 
Uinta & Dag. 49.8 56 30.0 
Salt Lake 47.0 1206 39.3 
Group 5 20-39 285 48.7 
San Juan 39.1 16 28.3 
Tooele 38.0 78 40.3 
Grand 33.4 26 68.6 
Carbon 24.5 154 63.5 
Piute 20.7 11 20.4 


FIGURE 9. TOTAL AND RATE PER 100,000 AVERAGE POPULATION OF 
CONVICTS SENT TO UTAH PENITENTIARY FROM VARIOUS UTAH COUN- 
TIES DURING THE 25 YEARS 1896 To 1920. COUNTIES ARRANGED AC- 
CORDING TO DESCENDING PROPORTIONS OF MORMONS. POPULATION 
AVERAGE IS FOR CENSUS YEARS 1900, 1910 anp 1920. ‘ToTAL coNvVIC- 
TIONS INCLUDES 99 FEDERAL PRISONERS. TOTAL CONVICTIONS OF NA- 
TIVES OF UTAH, 606. 


for the year 1916.2. The grouping of the counties 
into the five divisions is shown in Figure 9. 
During the twenty-five-year period the total 


* Religious Bodies, 1916, U. 8. Bur. Census. Population esti- 
mated for 1916 from 1910 and 1920 regular census. For reason of 
choosing 1916 religious inclination of counties see Footnote 2, 
Chapter 3. 


134 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


number of persons sent to the Utah penitentiary 
was 3134, of which 99 were merely being held for 
the Federal Government. This total is the equiva- 
lent of 34.2 yearly per 100,000 average population 
or nearly 8 per 100,000 smaller than the number 
of confinements reported in the above mentioned 
U. 8S. Government bulletin for 1922. 

Referring again to Figure 9 it is seen that the six 
counties with more than 90 per cent Mormons had 
an average penitentiary conviction rate of only 17.4 
or slightly over half the rate for the whole state. 
The average rates of groups numbered 2, 3, 4, and 5, 
in which the proportion of Mormons decreases, were 
19.2, 28.5, 42.3 and 48.7 per 100,000 population. 
Stated in another way, the convictions to the peni- 
tentiary decrease as the proportion of Mormons in 
the counties increase. As would be expected, because 
of the small number of convictions and chances 
of error in estimated population, this relationship 
does not hold absolutely when the individual coun- 
ties are considered, but a study of the figure will 
show that the two groups with over 80 per cent 
Mormons are in general considerably lower than 
the individual counties in the rest of the groups. Of 
the ten counties with a rate of less than 20, the only 
one not in the two groups with over 80 per cent 
Mormons is Rich County, and all persons reporting 
religion in this county in 1916 were Mormons, but 
the total number reporting any religion was less 
than two-thirds. 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 135 


The reports from which the above records of Utah 
were taken do not give the religious inclination of 
the convicts. The data kept at the Penitentiary are 
fairly complete for this item since about April, 1919, 
however, and in August, 1923, a tabulation was 
made of the religious inclination and nativity of 
convicts with numbers between 3717 and 4262. A 
summary of the results is given in the table which 
follows: 


TABLE SHOWING CONVICTIONS To UTAH STATH PENITENTIARY, 1919-23 
By Religion and Nativity 


Nativity Per Cent|Per Cent) convicts 
Religion TOS! | je ee ES, Pot Bota Satna Ex 
Utah | Other |Conviets| 791% | pected 


——— ee ee 


Mormon ....-- 156 114 42 28.9 61.8 334 


CeENoOlicwea: sees 100 1 99 18.5 2.4 13 
Methodist?) .).ic st: 3 1 31 5.9 4 vs 
Baptiste faccsiee 21 2 19 3.9 o 2 
Presbyterian .. 16 4 12 3.0 a3) 3 
Other Protest... 80 4 26 5.6 a at 5 
Other Churches. 40 1 39 7.4 6 4 
No religion .... 63 2 61 11.7 
NOt) given.) i... 82 9 16E 15.2 

Totals). wise 540 138 402 100.0 


This table shows only 540 convictions, but there 
were 6 others in which neither the nativity nor 
religion could be learned from the records at hand. 
The total number, 546, is equivalent to 126 a year 
or 27.3 per 100,000 population of the state, as com- 
pared with 125.4 a year or 34.2 per 100,000 during 
the 25-year period just discussed. The shorter 
record shows 26 per cent of those convicted to have 
been born in the State as compared with 20 for the 


136 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


longer period; but since the proportion of native 
born people in Utah has increased about 10 per cent 
in the past 25 years, this would be expected. 

If the population of Mormons in Utah during the 
years considered is taken as 280,000, which is not far 
from correct, the convictions per 100,000 Mormons 
would be 12.9 a year. Such a figure or one somewhat 
higher might have been expected from a considera- 
tion of the rates for the counties highest in Mormons 
as given in Figure 9. It should not be supposed 
that a large proportion of those not stating their 
religion were Mormon born, because 73 out of the 
82 were born outside the state, whereas it is esti- 
mated that over 80 per cent of the Mormons are 
native to Utah. Even if the entire 82 were Mor- 
mons, however, the rate would be no higher than 
19.6 and there is good reason for believing that 
very few of those not stating their religions were 
Mormons. 

While the Mormons compose about 62 per cent 
of the total population of Utah, in the above table 
it is seen that they furnish only about 29 per cent 
of the convicts. Of the 156 Mormon convicts, 114 
were born in the State. Therefore it is likely that 
only 21.1 per cent of all persons convicted were 
reared under Mormon control from birth. The last 
vertical column is given to show what would be 
expected if the criminals were furnished in propor- 
tion to the population of the different religious 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 137 
denominations as of 1916. The Mormons furnished 
less than half their quota. 

The State of Idaho, according to statistics of the 
Church, contained about 88,000 Mormons,? which 
is enough to make a statistical study of that state 
significant. The Idaho Penitentiary Reports give 
the religious inclination of convicts. The convic- 
tions per 100,000 population in the State of Idaho 
for the four years 1919 to 1922 were 28.5. The 
rate for those native of Utah was 20.3, while, if the 
Mormon population be taken as 85,000 for this 
four-year period, the rate would be 17.4 per 100,000. 
It is seen from these figures that while the rate of 
convictions of Mormons in Idaho is somewhat above 
that for Utah, the Mormons in Idaho furnish 11 
convicts per 100,000 population less than the average 
for the state as a whole. 

The boundaries of the counties in Idaho have 
shifted so greatly since 1910 that it is impracticable 
to try to estimate the population in order to arrive 
at the per cent of Mormons in them. However, by 
using the counties existing in 1916 when the religious 
Census was taken it is possible to group the counties 
according to the proportion of Mormons to all per- 
sons reporting religious inclination during that year. 
This is not a strictly accurate classification because 

2 Statistical reports of the Mormon Church; the Mormon sta- 


tistics for Idaho exceeded the U. S. Census figures for Mormons 
in Idaho by 2.9 per cent in 1916. 


138 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


many did not report religious inclination in some 
counties. 

In the counties with over 80 per cent Mormons, 
according to the above method,‘ there were, in these 
four years, 64 convictions to the Idaho Penitentiary. 
Equating this number with the estimated popula- 
tion, we find the rate to be 21.3 per 100,000, whereas 
the rate for the counties with between 66 and 77 per 
cent Mormons had a rate of 28.2 and the counties 
in which the Mormons composed only a very small 
fraction or none of the total population had a rate 
of 31.0. Here, as in Utah, the counties high in 
Mormons were lower than the average of the State 
in convictions, whereas the counties lowest in Mor- 
mons are higher than the average. 

The Governor of Arizona, in 1916, stated® that 
of 438 convicts in Arizona during that year, 4 of 
them were Mormons. As the Religious Census for 
that year gives the number of Mormons in Arizona 
as 12,624, this would give a rate of 31.7 per 100,000 
iWitecataae whereas the rate for the state as a whole 
would be 159.6. The small number of Mormons in 
Arizona at that time makes the comparison of little 
value statistically, but it at least shows that there is 
no excess of criminals among the Arizona Mormons. 

No other state has a large enough Mormon popu- 


*These counties are Franklin, Madison, Oneida, Bear Lake, 
Teton, Jefferson, Cassia, and Fremont, 

“In a letter of inquiry concerning the character of the Mormons 
in Arizona. 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 139 


lation to make a study of crime in it of any value 
whatever. The three states considered all agree, 
however, in showing the Mormons to be relatively 
law-abiding. 

It is very desirable that criminals be dealt with 
according to their crimes and that the citizens have 
confidence that the machinery for handling crim- 
inals will function as it should. Wrong is frequently 
done where the law is taken into the hands of mobs. 
According to the World Almanac for 1922° Utah 
is the only state outside of the New England States 
of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, and Vermont, which had no lynching be- 
tween 1885 and 1920. The states surrounding Utah 
show no such record. In that period Colorado had 
25, Wyoming 17, Idaho 8, Nevada 6, Arizona 12, and 
New Mexico 16 lynchings, and other western states 
have similar high figures. 

There have been impartial observers recording the 
conditions among the Mormons at various periods 
from the time of the immigration to Utah until the 
present. Practically none of these have spoken 
derogatively of the moral condition of the people. 
Most of these writers have reported conditions 
similar to the following statement by Phil Robin- 
son:? “I can assure my readers that the standard of 
public morality among the Mormons of Utah is such 
as the Gentiles among them are either unable or 


AEM YG AE 
7 Sinners and Saints, p. 186. 


140 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


unwilling to live up to.” Although this statement 
was made about 1884, it would appear from the 
figures presented above that the condition described 
then is found today. A few years later, Carlton, 
who served on the Commission sent to Utah to 
enforce the Edmunds Anti-polygamy Law, prepared 
the sketches for his “Wonderlands of the Wild 
West.” After his seven-year sojourn among the 
Mormons, he wrote: “It is a common belief, propa- 
gated by sensational writers, and designing and 
interested persons, that the Mormons are a gang of 
incorrigible rogues and criminals: when, in fact, 
according to the testimony of every unprejudiced 
man who is acquainted with them, that for honesty, 
industry, sobriety, neighborly kindness and peace 
and good order, the Mormons are at least equal, if 
not superior, to any other community on this conti- 
nent. Over 95 per cent of the saloon-keepers and 
gamblers of Utah are anti-Mormons, and while the 
Mormons are over 75 per cent of the population, yet 
six- or seven-eighths of the heinous and felonious 
offenses, as murder, manslaughter, burglary, robbery, 
rape and the like, are committed by the Gentile, or 
non-Mormon, minority.” Carlton’s statements con- 
cerning the proportions given above were based on 
figures gathered in a census made about 1880. They 
do not differ essentially from the figures for the 
present. 

In a speech made by Senator Thomas of Colorado 


RELATION OF MORMONS TO CRIME 141 
in the U. S. Senate he says:® “Mr. President, when 
respect for the law is the exception and not the rule, 
when the different forces of society are so antago- 
nistic that the political structure is menaced with 
danger, it is refreshing to note that the adherents of 
this faith (Mormon) have at all times been the 
advocates and the exponents of peace, of justice, 
of law, and of order; and however just the criticisms 
aimed against former institutions, the fact remains, 
as established by more than half a century of 
practice, that the communities professing the Mor- 
mon faith are among the best and highest exemplars 
of American citizenship.” 

Senator Henderson of Nevada, at this same gath 
ering, said: “We have in easterr Nevada a numbei 
of Mormon settlements. I have visited a number 
of them. I wish to say that there are no better 
citizens in the country than those of that faith. In 
one community that I know of, established over 
40 years ago, there has never been a jail. I believe 
that is true of the others. These people never have 
any use for jails. Where they go, law and order 
prevail, and thrift and economy are taught and 
practiced.” 

As a summary of this chapter, it may be said that 
Utah ranks among the best states in the Union in 
its statistics of crimes which call for penitentiary 
confinement. An analysis of the penitentiary sta- 
tistics of Utah by counties for a period of 25 years 

® Congressional Record of Nov. 11, 1919. 


142 THE FRUITS OF MORMONISM 


indicates that the counties with over 90 per cent 
Mormons have a rate of convictions only about 
half that of the State as a whole, and when con- 
sidered in groups of counties, the rate of convictions 
increases regularly with the decrease in proportion 
of Mormons. In a study of the religious inclinations 
of Utah convicts, it was found that the Mormons 
furnished criminals at a rate of only 13 per 100,000 
population as compared with 34 for the state as a 
whole. Figures from Idaho substantiate those from 
Utah. Utah is one of the 6 states in the United 
States which had no lynching between 1885 and 1920. 
No reliable data have been found which in any way 
indicate that the Mormons do not rank high in 
freedom from crime. 


INDEX 


A 


Adultery, divorce for, 119, 120 

Agriculture emphasied by Mor- 
mons, 47, 48, 49 

Arizona Mormon criminals, 138 

Armstrong quoted, 69 

Ayres Index numbers, 28-31 


B 


Ballantyne quoted, 123 
Bancroft on Mormon, coloniz- 
ing, 43, 53 
morality, 122 
patriotism, 72 
Birth rates, 96-104 
Births, illegitimate, 117, 118 
per married woman, 96, 97 
Boy Scouts in Utah, 39, 40 
Era Young, mentioned, 46, 
47, 52 


C 


Cancer death rates, 88-91 
Carlton on Mormon justice, 63 
morality, 140 
Carver quoted, 55-57 
Charity among Mormons, 74-80 
to Indians, 66 
Chastity among Mormons, 116- 
124 
Children, death rates of, 97-103 
per family, 94-96, 97 
Cities, Mormon, 48, 53, 54 
Civil War, 70 
College education, 
31-34 


Mormon, 


Colonizing, Mormon, 43-57 

Convicts, religion of Utah, 135 

Cooperation, Mormon, 49-55, 
57 


Cost of Utah schools, 27, 28 

Crime among the Mormons, 
130-142 

Crimes, Mormon sex, 120, 121 

Criminals, Mormon, in Idaho, 
137, 138 

Utah, religion of, 135 

Curriculum, Mormon school, 

18, 19 


Death rates, accuracy of, 82, 83 
Mormon, 86-92 
rank of states in, 83-86 
Deaths of infants, 97-103 
Diseases, venereal, 121, 122 
Divorce after temple marriage, 
114 
for adultery, 119, 120 
laws differ, 110, 111 
rates, 111-114 
Doctrine and Covenants, de- 
fined, 12 
on government, 59-62 


E 
Education among the Mor- 
mons, 16-35 


higher in Utah, 31-34 
Mormon attitude toward, 16- 


19, 30 
Educational efficiency Utah 
schools, 29-31 


expenditures, 27, 28 


143 


144 


Ellis quoted, 51 

Ely on Mormon colonizing, 47- 
50 

Enlistments, World War, 67, 68 

Eternal progression doctrine, 10 


F 


Faith and prayer, healing by, 
81, 82 
Family, Mormon, important, 8, 
9, 93, 94 
size of Mormon, 94-96 
Fast Sunday donations, 79 
Fisher quoted, 39, 40 
Food conservation, 69, 70 


G 


Government, Mormon attitude 
toward, 58-64 
Grant, Miles, quoted, 122 


H 
Health of Mormons, 81-92 
Henderson, Senator, quoted, 
141 


High schools, early Utah, 18 
Higher education, Mormon, 31- 
34 


i 


Idaho Mormon criminals, 137, 
138 

Illegitimate births, 117, 118 

Illiteracy among the Mormons, 


Infants, deaths of, 97-103 

Insanity among the Mormons, 
125-129 

TG eae after death 10, 16, 


Irrigation by Mormons, 47-50 


K 


Kinney on Justice among Mor- 
mons, 63 


INDEX 


L 


Latter-day Saints, origin, 4 
Laws, Mormon attitude toward, 
58-64 

Leadership among Mormons, 
36-42 

Liberty Loan drives in Utah, 
68 

Loyalty of Mormons, 65-73 

Lynchings in Utah, 139 


M 


McConnell quoted, 38, 39 
Manufacturing, Mormon, 47 
Marriage and divorce, 105-115 
Mormon beliefs in, 8, 9, 107 
rates in Utah, 109, 110 
temple, 107, 114 
Married, proportion not, 107- 
109 
Mental deficiency in Utah, 128, 
129 


Mexican War, 70, 71 
Mining, attitude of Mormons 
toward, 47, 48 
Missionary Work of Mormons, 
14, 42, 50 
Mob violence in Utah, 139 
Morality of Mormons, 116-124, 
140 
Mormon colonizing, 43-57 
cooperation, 49-55 
organizations, 41, 42 
patriotism, 65-73 
Mormonism a misnomer, 4 
philosophy of, 6-15 
practical side of, 49-54, 81 
Mormons active church work- 
ers, all, 14 
educational activities of, 17- 


higher education of, 31-34 

illiteracy among, 21 

leadership among, 36-42, 45, 
47, 55 

persecution of, 4 

school attendance of, 23, 24 


INDEX 


Mortality rates, accuracy of, 
82, 83 
by states, 83-86 
Mormon, 86-92 
Mutual Improvement Associa- 
tions, 70 


O 


Obedience to law, Mormon, 59 
Organizations, Mormon, 41, 42 


1 re 


Patriotism of Mormons, 65-73 

Penitentiary convictions, 120, 
132-138 

Persecution of Mormons, 4 

Philosophy of Mormonism, 6- 
15 


Polygamy, 8, 9, 116, 123 
Prejudices distort truth, 2 
Priesthood quorum charity, 76 
Primary Associations, 70 
Primitive social conditions, 1, 2 
Private schools in Utah, 18, 19, 
29, 30 
Progression, eternal, 10 


R 


Red Cross drives, 68, 80 
Relief Society, charity of, 76- 
78, 79 
mentioned, 69, 70 
Religion and colonizing, 47 
of Utah convicts, 135 
of Utah insane, 128 
Religion Worth Having, The, 
55-57 
Remy and Brenchley quoted, 
123 
Revelation, continuous, 10, 11, 


Robinson on Mormon charity, 
74-75 
morality, 139, 140 


S 


Salvation, view held by Mor- 
mons, 10 


145 


Sanitation among Mormons, 82 
School attendance, Utah, 22, 23, 
25-27 
curriculum, Mormon, 18, 19 
efficiency, Utah, 29-31 
expenditures, 27, 28 
Schools, first Mormon, 17, 18 
Science, Attitude of Mormons 
toward, 14 
reveals facts, 2, 3, 4 
Tae students, Utah, 26, 
2 


Sex crimes in Utah, 120, 121 

Smith, Joseph F., quoted, 66 

Social conditions, primitive, 1, 
2 

Social side of Mormonism, 50 

Spanish War, Utah’s response 
to, 70 

Stansbury description of Utah, 


T 


Teachers, ward, 40, 75 

Temperance, Mormon beliefs 
in, 12, 13, 81, 88 

Thomas, Senator, quoted, 71, 
141 


Tithing for charity, 79 
Truth, all, sought by Mormons, 
, 14 
distorted by prejudice, 1, 2 
Tuberculosis, death rates by, 
88-90 
Tuttle quoted, 39 


U 
University of Deseret (Utah), 
18 


Utah described by Stansbury, 
first settled, 18 
in World War, 67-70 
school statistics, 22, 25-34 
Who’s Who record of, 37, 38 


146 INDEX 


V bite Spanner: Mormon, 40, 75 
Venereal di in Utah, 121, ards, size of, 41 
T 99 sR LRTE RUN Webster, Daniel, mentioned, 44 
Villages, Mormon, 48, 53, 54 Who’s Who records, Utah, 37, 
Vroom ted, 69 38 
Fe uC REL Wilson, Woodrow, quoted, 73 
WwW Woman, children born per, 95, 
War, Mormon attitude toward, 96, 97 
66 Women, Mormon, as mothers, 
War savings Stamps, 68 93-104 


War, World, Utah record in, Word of Wisdom, mentioned, 
67-70 12, 13, 81, 88 





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